Pulling Down Heaven
by Terri Botta
Summary: COMPLETED: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family. Rated M for later chapters. Post-Eclipse.
1. Chapter 1

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: I shouldn't be writing this. I ought to be writing on Soul of a Fox, but this plot bunny would not leave me alone. So I decided to use it as a way to develop some characters that are upcoming in Soul and get rid of this Twilight bug in the process.

WARNING: This is an AU. It's weird and wonky and I'm not entirely sure how well it will be received, but I figured with all the Twilight fic here, it couldn't hurt to try. All feedback and crit welcomed. Please see my profile for my webpage, and links to more of my work.

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Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter One

The wind was soft on his skin, the gentle brush of the wildflowers in their meadow feather-light across his arm, almost as light as Bella's fingertips pressed ever so delicately against the inside of his elbow. It was a soft spot on her, he knew, and somewhat of a soft spot on him, relatively speaking – the nerves on his hardened skin being more sensitive in that area than, say, his wrist or the back of his hand. It didn't matter, though. He was sensitive no matter where Bella touched him, finely tuned to her touch like the strings of his piano. Only Bella had ever played him so well.

Slowly he rolled his head and cracked his eyes open to look at her lying in the grass beside him, sunlight warming her skin even as it reflected off his. His bride-to-be, in only another four short weeks.

_'Bella. My fiancée…'_ The idea was a miracle, as miraculous as her being in his life in the first place. He managed a tender smile.

"What are you thinking?" he asked. It was his most frequent question when he was with her. He reasoned that he ought to be used to not hearing her thoughts, but it never seemed to get any easier, especially when her brow was furrowed and her eyes far away.

_'Is it the wolf? Is she thinking of him even now when she is with me?'_ he wondered, trying not to let jealousy and frustration color his mood.

She seemed to realize that her silence was worrying him so she forced a smile (he knew her face so well that he knew it was an effort for her.) "It's nothing."

"Aren't we past all pretenses now?" he asked, trying to tease. He found that gently cajoling worked best with her, especially if he used his eyes.

She looked away and sighed. "Alice was showing me place settings and seating charts today…"

Ah. So it was the wedding that was weighing so heavily on her. That was almost a relief.

"And?" he prompted.

"And I was thinking that Vegas is beautiful this time of year."

He chuckled and waved a hand. "You have but to say the word, my love. We can leave today, be back tomorrow."

"Even if I wanted to get married at a drive-thru chapel with an Elvis impersonator as the Justice of the Peace?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

She wasn't serious and he knew it; he didn't need to read her mind to catch the twinkle of humor in her eye and the blush to her cheek. How he loved her blushes. He would miss them when she was cold and dead like him.

"Even if you wanted Hunka Hunka Burning Love as our wedding song," he agreed.

"Eww," she snorted, crinkling her nose in distaste, but it was enough to make her smile.

"I'm serious, though," he continued, commanding her gaze. "If that is what you want, I'll call Alice. We'll cancel the whole thing and just go somewhere, you and I..."

She grimaced and shook her head. "No. No, don't disappoint Alice. I'll survive. Besides, you can't call Alice. I left my cell phone at home and yours blipped off an hour ago when the battery ran out."

He cringed. She was right. He had forgotten to plug it in. He blamed Bella. She was such a distraction that he often forgot to breathe let alone see to the daily minutia like recharging his electronic devices.

"As you wish, my love. But if you change your mind…"

She grinned. It was their inside joke. "You'll be the first to know."

He smiled at her, marveling at her beauty, at the sunlight so rare in Forks dancing on her hair. He couldn't help but be drawn to her, her warmth, her scent… He rolled to his side and leaned towards her… Her heart started pounding in anticipation of his kiss. Something else he would dearly miss once she was born to vampirism: her heartbeat.

Their lips met. She sighed into his mouth and he closed his eyes, stunned each time by the wonder of their love and her sweetness in his arms.

"Edward…" she breathed, her scent all around him.

"Bella…"

It was a snarl, a noxious scent, and a warning thrill up his spine that made him tense and twist to his feet.

"Edward?" Bella called from behind him.

"Stay back," he ordered, searching, trying to pinpoint the location of the threat. Trying to figure out what it _was_.

"What is it?" Her voice frightened now, her heart pounding again, but not with excitement. Fear laced through her scent, acrid and bitter. The scent, once so appealing to him on his hunts, only made him edgy and more protective now. He could not stand the scent of Bella's fear.

"I don't know." It was true. He only knew something was approaching at great speed. Something big and heavy. Bear? Wolf? He had no idea. The scent was all wrong…

It broke out of the trees a moment later. A monster the likes of which he had never seen. It looked like a huge lizard that walked on two legs. A lizard that wore armor and carried weapons. It saw him and Bella, and roared; opening its mouth full of crocodilian teeth. He roared back, confident that no matter what it was, it was no match for his speed and strength. He was a perfect killer after all.

He rushed the beast, meeting it head on. It slammed into him, claws ripping into his flesh. The sudden pain stunned him as he was flipped upward, spun head over heels by the impact, then the excruciating agony as the creature bit down on his side.

He was thrashed around in the thing's mouth, shaken like a shark rends its prey, and thrown to the ground, the impact rattling his teeth and the brain in his head. Then the thing was on him again, jaws crunching down on his arm. He thought he might have screamed.

There was a loud thud and the creature was knocked back. He heard it land somewhere nearby and a new voice cursing loudly.

"Damnit! Just what we needed. Son of a..."

The scent was human. Female. She was crouching beside him. Her breath was labored, her smell laced with anger. He tried to roll, to get his good arm under him so he could see… but the pain was nearly mind-numbing. Then he heard Bella scream.

_'Bella!'_

He panicked, suddenly terrified. That thing… able to do so much damage to his hard body…

_'Bella! NO!'_

The human female growled beside him, cursing again.

"You stay down. I'll get her."

_'How?'_ he wondered, but she wasn't there anymore.

He bit back the pain and rolled to his side, forcing his eyes to focus on the area where he knew Bella ought to be. He was surprised to find himself clear across the clearing from where they had been, and the thing was headed for Bella, poor Bella who was frozen with fear, her eyes wide and horrified.

"Bella…" he choked, struggling to make his body work.

Her scream filled his ears again, and he echoed it with a roar of his own as he watched the beast barrel down on his fiancée.

"NO!" he cried.

A second before the beast reached her a small woman appeared beside Bella. She grabbed his fiancée and then blipped out of sight. It was so fast he didn't even know what had happened. And then Bella was beside him, sobbing, curled over his broken body, her warm hands on his cold skin.

_'How did she…'_

"He's been bitten," the woman said, huffing, and he became aware of another human female now with them.

"How bad?" the new voice asked.

"Bad."

"Okay."

Someone knelt beside him, fingers tearing away what was left of his shirt to expose the bite wounds.

"Here," she was saying, speaking to Bella. "Open these and spread the gel on the wounds. It will help slow the spread of the poison."

"Poison? What?" Bella stammered between sobs.

The second woman was moving, handing Bella something. Bella was still sniffling but getting herself under control. He wanted to talk to her, to say something comforting, but his mouth wouldn't work.

"I'll make the anti-venom later. But this will help for now. Do it quickly!"

"Mom!" a third voice called, a child's, a boy. What was a boy doing there now?

"Vincent! Help Izzy! Hurry! We have to corner it before it gets any further!"

"I'm on it!"

He struggled to sit, shrugging off Bella's hands as she was spreading something on his wounds. A strange hand pressed on his shoulder.

"No. You must be still. Movement will only hasten the spread of the venom," the second woman warned.

_'But…'_

_'Be still,'_ a voice told him mentally.

_'Get down and stay down, you idiot!'_ another commanded, the first woman.

He growled. No one spoke to him like that, but he grudgingly obeyed if only because Bella was begging him to lie back down. His one defiance, however, was in placing himself where he could see the battle going on in the clearing. There were three humans how, each at a point forming a triangle that had trapped the beast in their midst. The first woman was stocky brunette, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. She was on the far side of the clearing, facing the beast. She was taunting it and waving her hands. The second woman was small like Alice, with black hair like Alice as well, but in thick, glossy curls. She was closest to him, her hand gripping what looked to be a whip made of something green. The boy was about ten, the same black hair as his mother but not as curly. He was dressed in jeans and a sleeveless black shirt. He had black, fingerless gloves on both hands, up to his elbows.

"Edward. Edward, are you alright?" Bella hissed, drawing his attention away from the fight. The three were circling the thing, keeping it from leaving the clearing, although why it should fear three humans when it could rend a vampire to pieces, he didn't know.

He looked at her. She was holding something that looked like an aloe plant but it was bright purple. Smears of its gel were on her hands and on his flesh where she had spread it over the bites: bites that stung and throbbed. He moaned. Bella sobbed and began smearing more gel on his stomach and on his back. The thing had grabbed him from the side, crunching down on both sides of his torso and on his right arm.

"Bella…" he managed. She looked terrified, but unharmed.

"Edward, what is that thing?"

"I don't know," he admitted, letting his head fall back to the grass. His wounds were burning even more now. _'It's the poison…'_ he reasoned. _'A monster that can poison a monster…'_

He turned to the fight again as the boy took off his gloves and thrust his hands out at the beast. Bursts of fire erupted from both of his palms, making him and Bella gasp, and the fireballs landed by the monster's feet, making it take a step back.

He watched as they circled the beast, noting that the black-haired woman was always behind it, realizing that the other two were merely distracting the thing from her as they ran loops around the monster. The first woman was fast, blipping in and out of sight. He couldn't imagine that she was running, because if she was then she was almost as fast as him. Together with the boy, they kept the thing spinning, always with the second woman behind. Finally a decision seemed to be made, and the black-haired woman took a wide stance, at the ready. Then both the first woman and the boy forced the beast back towards the center of the clearing.

"Mia, NOW!" the first woman yelled.

The black-haired woman flicked her wrist, and he saw the green whip lift up from where it had been hidden in the grass, only now it was in multiple loops all surrounding the beast. The loops rose up, encircling the creature, until the woman gave a hard yank and the loops closed, slicing the monster into a dozen or so pieces with one pull. The chunks fell in wet, bloody thuds on the grass, and the thing twitched its last.

A moment later both women were at his and Bella's side while the boy lingered to set fire to the dismembered corpse with more fireballs.

"That was the third one. We should be safe for now," the black-haired woman said to her companion.

"Unless they sent two teams… Damnit, the venom is spreading," the first woman cursed, looking at him. He glanced at his stomach to see blue-black tendrils radiating out across his skin from the bite wounds.

"We need to get him back to the house so I can make the antidote," the second woman replied, an edge of desperation in her voice.

"I'll have to Jump us there," the first woman said.

"Can you Jump all five of us at once?" the second asked.

"Do I have a choice? Sparky! You done?"

The boy ran to them, slipping his long gloves back onto his hands. "Yeah."

"I'm gonna Jump all of us back home. Get close."

"Okay," the boy agreed.

They knelt around her and she reached to grab onto him, lifting him up into a sitting position against her.

"Girlfriend, grab hold of my shoulder. Do it now."

Amazingly, for once Bella didn't argue. She threw one arm around him and one arm around the first woman's shoulder. The second woman embraced her son and the first woman, and the boy completed the circle by holding onto his mother and Bella. He heard the first woman take a deep breath, and then they were shifting, going somewhere cold and formless. A moment later, they appeared on the front lawn of a log cabin in the woods. They broke apart, the second woman and the boy running for the house while Bella stayed with him and the first woman, who now looked spent and stressed.

By now he could feel the effects of the venom burning its way through his body. The instinct to hunt was growing stronger as the pain increased, and he began to struggle with the thirst. There were deer and elk not far away. He needed their blood…

_'No way. Believe me. Drinking anything but the anti-venom would just spread the poison further. If you were to hunt now, you'd be killing yourself,'_ the mental rebuke came.

_'But I'm a vampire…'_

_'No, really? You think you're immune? Newsflash, the thing's just as deadly to you as it is to me.'_

_'How can that be?'_

_'You think there aren't demons out there that are deadly to other demons?'_

When he thought about it, it did make sense, but the pain was quickly robbing him of his senses and his instincts were starting to take over – starting with them showing a _very_ unhealthy interest in his personal brand of heroin.

_'No. Oh God, no. I have to get away from her…'_

_'You have to get inside where Maria can give you the anti-venom.'_

_'No…'_

"Girlfriend, help me get Lover-Boy here into the house, ok?" the woman said.

He tried to protest but his complaints came out as incoherent growls, and of course, Bella couldn't read his mind any more than he could read hers.

"Oh, God, Edward…" Bella sobbed, helping the woman pick him up by putting her shoulder under his armpit. The woman had him under the other one, and together they managed to half-drag him into the house. "Is he going to be all right?"

"He'll be fine once we get the anti-venom into him," the woman assured her.

"Do you have that here?" Bella asked as they stumbled along with him propped between them.

"Maria's making it."

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can m ke someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Two

He didn't struggle as they pulled him through a common room and plopped him down on a stool at a breakfast counter in a large, well-appointed kitchen. The first woman sat down on the stool next to him, one arm wrapped around his shoulders, holding him against her, while Bella sat on a third seat on his opposite side.

Maria, the one with the black curls, was moving quickly around the room. There were several planter pots on the counter overflowing with all manner of strange vegetation. She was sifting through the plants with expert care, snipping and plucking seeds and roots. The boy was rushing around, grabbing pots and filling them with water to heat on the gas cooktop.

"Mia, germinate the Blood Vine," the first woman said, shoving a dirt-filled planter pot towards Maria.

As he watched dazedly, Maria reached for something on her wrist – a strand of beads that was one of many she wore on both arms – and grabbed something. She tossed a small bit of whatever it was into the pot and waved a hand over it. A moment later, a dark green vine began creeping its way out of the planter.

"She did that with the purple plant back in the clearing," he heard Bella whisper. "She threw a seed down and plant popped up a second later."

He managed a nod. Somehow the woman was able to manipulate vegetation. He'd figured that out when he saw what she did with the vine in the clearing.

"Girlfriend, take that pot and put it in that bay window," the first woman told Bella.

He saw Bella bristle at being called 'Girlfriend' but she was too worried to argue. She hopped off the stool and took the pot with the fast growing vine over to a bay window with a wide sill.

"Thanks," the first woman said as Bella returned to her stool. "Mia, how we doing?"

Maria checked another plant growing in a pot and shook her head. "Zithal needs to mature. It'll be another couple of minutes. How is he?"

He wasn't doing well at all. The pain was spreading and the need to feed was growing. He had to look a fright, and for a moment he saw himself reflected in Maria's mind: a black-eyed vampire, pale skin spider-webbed with dark blue streaks of venom spreading across his chest and down his arm. What he saw disturbed both of them. His reply was a strangled moan, but that made him breathe and he smelled Bella's sweet scent. The monster inside him roared.

_'I have to get out of here. I'll kill her. I'll kill her. Please, please don't let me kill her!'_

The red-eyed monster snarled, aching for blood. _Her_ blood so close, so close… The first woman's hand on his shoulder tightened.

_'Hey! Stay with me here, pal. You need to relax.'_

Relax? The beast inside of him was salivating for his fiancée's blood. He could feel the venom dripping from his gums. The pain was getting worse. He wasn't going to be able to stop himself. He'd start with Bella then kill both women and the boy… He wanted to scream.

He felt what had to be the equivalent of a mental slap, knocking him out of his growing hysteria. _'Hey! Stay focused!'_

_'I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill all of you if you don't let me out of here!'_

_'Can you move?'_

The question shocked him. Of course he could move. He tried to lift his arm and was stunned to not be able to even twitch. Was the venom paralyzing him?

_'No. That's me. I've got a chi-sink on you. You won't be able to do anything until I lift it.'_

_'A what?'_

_'A chi-sink. I'm shunting all of your life energy into the ground. You can't move until I say so.'_

He took a deep breath, fighting the geas and testing it, but the breath made more of Bella's scent fill his lungs. The red-eyed monster raged and pummeled the geas with everything it had.

_'I'm going to kill her!'_ he cried.

Amazingly, his body didn't budge.

_'No, you're not. I've got you.'_

_'Please. Please don't let me kill her. Please, please, don't let me kill her,'_ he begged. He wasn't above begging. Not when Bella's life was at stake.

_'You won't. I promise. I've got you. I won't let you hurt your girl.'_ The mindvoice was softer now, gentler.

_'Please…'_

_'I've got you. Your girl is safe. We're all safe. But you have to relax. The more you struggle, the faster the venom spreads.'_

_'You won't let me hurt her?'_ Hopeful now. Daring to relax even as the monster howled.

_'Not a chance. Just calm down and take it easy. Mia'll have the anti-venom ready in a minute or two.'_

He sighed, closing his eyes and letting himself relax into the hold the woman had on him. His wounds hurt, but he could handle the physical pain if Bella was safe.

_'What's your name?'_ the woman asked.

_'Edward Cullen.'_ It was too much effort to speak aloud.

_'And your girl?'_

_'Fiancée. Bella Swan,'_ he corrected.

_'I'm Izzy. The woman over there is Maria. And the boy is her son, Vincent.'_

_'I saw him throwing fire balls.'_

_'Yeah. He can do that.'_

_'And you can vanish.'_

_'Yeah. I can do lots of things.'_

_'What was that creature in the meadow?'_

_'Komodo Demon. At least that's what it's called in English. They're not really related to the Komodo Dragon, but they look similar and their bite is deadly like the Dragon's too so people call them that.'_

_'What are they?'_

_'Demon Assassins. Always travel in packs of three. We'd already killed the other two, and we had that one on the run when he stumbled onto the two of you.'_

_'Are you Demon Hunters?_' He'd only read about such things in fiction: Bram Stoker and the like, but he supposed they could exist. He existed after all…

_'Not exactly,'_ came the guarded answer.

There was more to it, but he doubted she would tell him.

_'So you know what I am then?'_

_'Yeah. Venomous vampire.'_ Her mindvoice took on a scholarly tone as she continued, _'The venomous vampire. One of the rarer species of vampire, and the only species that does not have fangs. Instead it produces a potent neurotoxin that incapacitates the victim. The deadliest species of vampire ever discovered. Mortality rate is nearly 100. Victims that do survive the initial attack will succumb to the venom, and become venomous vampires themselves if the toxin is not removed, or an anti-venom is not administered, within the first 24 hours of the initial bite._

_'See? I'm a walking demon encyclopedia. Helps to know what I'm up against so I can kill it.'_

_'There's an antidote for our venom?'_ he questioned, latching onto the last line of the recitation.

She gave him a sympathetic look. _'Only if it's given within the first twenty-four hours of being bitten. Once you're turned, you're turned. Sorry.'_

He choked an answer and shivered as a new wave of pain hit him. He could feel the venom eating away at his flesh, the heightened nerves being devoured by the poison. It was searing its way under his skin, not unlike the fiery torture he had endured when he was born into vampirism. It was like he was being burned alive all over again. His vision was blurring from the pain, his eyes refusing to focus.

Izzy's hand tightened on his bare shoulder, the warmth of her mortal skin almost as hot as the burning venom, but he took comfort in it. She was holding him against her; holding him together.

"Mia, how's the Zithal?" she asked.

He heard the slight edge of worry in the question and he wondered how bad it really was. Bella was oddly quiet, but he could feel her closeness. He wished desperately to know what she was thinking, but the wall of silence between them loomed over him. He wanted to comfort her, but there was nothing he could say. He had no idea what was happening or how it would all end.

"Almost ready," the other woman replied. She was chopping herbs and putting them into a steaming pot. Vincent was standing on a stool in front of the stove, stirring the mixture.

"Blood Vine looks ready too," Izzy commented.

Through Izzy's mind he saw the vine had now grown to encompass the window and was now laden with large, dark green pods dangling from its stalks.

"Bella Swan," Izzy addressed.

"How'd you know my name?" Bella blurted.

"Lover-Boy told me, but I could keep calling you 'Girlfriend' if you want."

"No. Bella is fine," his fiancée answered sullenly.

"Okay. See those pods on that vine?"

"Yeah?"

"Go pick about dozen of the biggest and toss them into the pot Maria has on the stove over there."

"Okay."

He heard Bella get up and go over to the window, but his eyes were closed. Through Izzy's mind he watched his fiancée gingerly pluck the large, crescent-shaped pods from the vine and bring them over to the boiling pot.

_'Are you familiar with Blood Vine?'_ Izzy asked him.

_'What's that?'_ He'd never heard of it, but he had an idea that he was about to find out.

_'It's an alternative food source for hemoglobin-dependant species such as yourself. It was created by a demon geneticist about a hundred years ago.'_

He reasoned out what she had said and mentally blinked. _'A plant that __**bleeds?**__'_ What kind of demon scientist would make a plant that bled and for what reason?

Izzy snorted. _'Oh, don't go thinking he did it for any noble cause like saving the humans or anything like that. He wanted to explore the universe, and he found having to take along conventional food supplies inconvenient. So he decided to make something that was easier to handle and less mouthy. He came up with Blood Vine. Extremely hardy. Grows under almost any conditions. The pods reproduce themselves_ _within forty-eight hours, and the nectar is virtually identical to human blood.'_

_'Are you serious?'_ he gasped. The idea seemed impossible.

_'Yep. The only thing it's missing are the clotting factors, so it won't congeal on you, and it's lacking the primary molecule in the scent that triggers blood lust, so you'll smell it, but you won't go into a feeding frenzy. Two very useful modifications._

_'The guy was a real genius. It's almost too bad that no one's seen him in sixty years. Figure he stumbled somewhere that found __**him**__ good eating.'_

He was still trying to digest what he'd just been told when he heard Bella's shocked gasp.

"Is that? Is that _**blood?**_" he heard her say, an edge of disgusted awe in her voice.

He opened his eyes to see his fiancée staring, wide-eyed at the pot that had held the pods she had picked from the vine. Maria had removed it from the stove and was now poised to strain the pot's contents through a sieve.

He turned his attention to hear the answer and heard Maria's gentle voice reply, "It's called Blood Vine. It's an alternative food source for blood-drinking demons."

"Can Edward eat that? I mean… will it _feed_ him?"

"That's what it was designed for," Maria answered, straining the crimson liquid through the sieve and pouring it into a large, tall glass.

"Eww! Hey, it's not making me sick. Blood always makes me sick," Bella said, surprised.

Maria gave her a smile. "It's lacking a molecule in the scent that triggers blood lust. The same molecule probably triggers your nausea."

Her voice was matter-of-fact as she placed the full glass on the counter and pushed it towards him. The scent hit his nose and his body reacted with hunger, but not with crazed frenzy. All the same, he felt the monster stirring at the sight of the red liquid in the glass, and he felt the venom pooling in his mouth.

_'Interesting. Is that the anti-venom?'_ he asked Izzy.

_'Yeah. Hold on a second before you try to drink it.'_

"Okay, Bella, Edward's in a lot of pain right now, and he's very thirsty. I don't think he'll go for you instead of the glass, but just in case, why don't you go stand on the other side of the kitchen," he heard Izzy warn.

It wouldn't matter. If he wanted her, he'd have her in a heartbeat.

_'No you won't. If you even so much as twitch in her direction, I'll lock you down again,'_ Izzy assured him.

There was an odd comfort in that.

_'I'm gonna ease up on you just enough for you to be able to lift your hand and pick up the glass.'_

Could he just drink the blood in the glass and not go after Bella? Would the monster let him?

_'I promise you. I won't let you hurt your girl,'_ Izzy assured him yet again, and he believed her. Why or how he didn't know, but so far she had given him no reason to doubt her words. In some small part of his brain that was not curled up in agony and thirst, he questioned the wisdom of trusting a complete stranger who had proven she could all but paralyze him, but that part was being thoroughly beaten up by his venom-ravaged, starving body that was howling loud enough to make his ears ring.

He felt the weight on him lift ever so slightly, and he was able to raise his hand from his lap with effort. Bella, idiot that she was, hadn't moved away.

_'She has no sense of self-preservation,'_ he bemoaned as he reached slowly for the glass. The liquid inside it was steaming.

After what seemed to take forever, he was finally able to wrap his fingers around the glass and lift it to his mouth. The blood touched his lips and he was lost. The entire thing was gone in seconds, but that was okay because a second glass replaced it, then a third, and a fourth. He could taste the medicine in it, but it didn't matter. It was food and his monster screamed for more. After the sixth, he came up for air.

"Edward?" Bella asked nervously, her eyes wide.

His answer was a grunt as another glass was placed in front of him. He grabbed it and drank it down, ravenous. He didn't care if the stuff had been squeezed from a plant. It was _**good. **_It was like sinking his teeth into a huge, juicy steak after years of soymilk and tofu, and he wanted more, more, more_**.**_

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can m ke someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Three

"You've never seen him feed," he heard Maria question Bella.

His fiancée shook her head and paled as she saw him down yet _another_ glass. That was eight so far. Number nine slid into his palm. He drank that one more slowly. He was calmer now, in less pain, and his monster was settling down. He felt Izzy ease the geas up a little more, allowing him more freedom to move. It was safe now. They both thought so. He pulled himself gently out of her embrace and sat up straight on the stool.

"You know that he doesn't eat every day, yes?" Maria was saying. "Sometimes he'll go a number of days without feeding."

Bella nodded. "Yeah. A week or more sometimes."

"But when he does feed, he gorges. He'll drink several pints of blood from multiple victims."

Bella looked uncomfortable. "Edward's family doesn't hunt humans."

Maria's answer was only a nod as if she'd already known that. He wondered about it, but the point became moot as she gave him glass number ten.

"So, that plant makes blood?" Bella asked curiously.

"Yes. It's complete nutrition for a blood-drinker," Maria confirmed.

"Wow."

The boy, who had been stirring the pot, now turned off the stove and hopped up to sit on the counter with his mother standing beside him. With the two of them right next to each other, it was impossible to miss the family resemblance. Both had the same fine boned facial structure and small frames. Maria looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before. He reasoned it was probably because his higher brain function still wasn't firing on all cylinders yet.

It was now that he noticed that the boy had red eyes. They weren't the red of a human-blood drinking vampire nor were they the shade of red for an albino, but instead were a dark ruby red that could not be natural.

_'Oh they are. His father's a Fire Demon. He got the eyes,'_ Izzy informed.

_'You're an exceptional telepath, madam,'_ he commented, but knowing Vincent was a half-demon explained the odd tinge in his scent that he was starting to notice. Izzy's scent was off too, but he couldn't place why.

_'Thanks.'_

"But the best part about Blood Vine, or so I have heard, is that you can _flavor_ it," Maria said as she sliced a lemon with a knife and squeezed some of the juice into glass number twelve.

He eyed the drink warily as he finished off glass eleven, but picked it up and slowly brought it to his lips. He could still taste the medicine, but now there was a tang of citrus to the liquid. It was not an unpleasant flavor. He watched as she squeezed the rest of the lemon into glass number thirteen.

"Is he going to drink much more?" he heard Bella ask.

"He needs lots of blood to battle the venom and heal his wounds. He was badly bitten," Maria replied for him.

It was true, but he was getting full. The liquid was sating his hunger in ways that hadn't been satisfied in eighty years. Izzy hadn't been kidding when she'd said it was virtually identical to human blood.

_'Will it turn my eyes red?'_ he wondered, concerned, even as he reached for the next glass.

_'No. The act of killing human life is what fuels the color change,'_ she replied and he relaxed immediately.

_'This stuff could work wonders for Jasper…'_

_'We'll send you home with some. I'm sure Maria would be happy to show you how to cultivate and prepare it.'_

_'That… that would be wonderful.'_

He was much calmer now, and back in complete control. He felt Izzy release the geas completely and he relaxed, confident that there was no danger of him attacking anyone. He was still in pain, but it was manageable, and the blood from the plant was satisfying his hunger. He gave Bella a reassuring smile as he sipped from glass number thirteen. She was watching him with wide eyes, but she returned his smile. He frowned into the glass, hoping that she didn't see him as an insatiable monster now.

_'She won't. It's just a shock to her. She's never seen you feed. I think she's just surprised at how much you're drinking. It's kinda like watching someone at a keg party and wondering where they put all the beer they're knocking back,'_ came the wry explanation.

_'You can read her thoughts?'_ he asked, shocked.

_'Nope.'_

_'Me either. Does that happen often?'_

Izzy shrugged. _'Sometimes.'_

_'Do you know why because it's never happened to me before.'_

_'Lots of reasons. She could have a natural defense or learned how to block telepaths, or she could be blocked herself. I'd have to spend more time with her to figure it out.'_

She'd said it off-handedly, like an afterthought, and he looked down at her to really get a good look at her for the first time. There was nothing overtly remarkable about her. She was average height, average weight; her hair was a medium brown, shoulder length, brown eyes, slightly olive skin… Nothing at all to suggest that she was anything other than a normal human woman in her late twenties-early thirties. But he knew he had seen her vanish – Jump as she had called it – and he knew she had somehow knocked the beast away from him, and of course, she was obviously a telepath, a powerful one. And there was still a hint of strangeness in her scent that he couldn't identify.

Knowing all of that made him look more carefully, and in doing so he saw her right hand. It was scratched and the dark blue streaks that had marked his own poisoning were discoloring her skin all the way up to her elbow. No one had seen it because she had kept the hand and forearm down behind the counter.

_'Well, that explains the odd scent…'_ "You're hurt too," he gasped, speaking out loud for the first time since coherent thought had returned to him. Having just suffered the agony of the venom himself, he had no idea how she had been able to tolerate it for so long without so much as a whimper.

_'Chi-sink wasn't only on you,_' she grumbled as she grimaced and cast him a baleful glare, but Maria was already moving.

"What?" the woman demanded, coming around the counter and grabbing Izzy's arm. "Oh my God! Izzy!"

"I'm okay, Mia. I can purge it," Izzy complained, trying to pull her arm out of Maria's hands.

Vincent hopped down from the counter top and grabbed the strainer with the used herbs, dumping them back into a pot of hot water. Edward watched as the boy took off his gloves and held the pot in both hands, staring at the water. He was shocked when the water began to boil almost instantly.

Maria ran around the counter to a cabinet and yanked out a large coffee mug. A moment later the mug of anti-venom sans Blood Vine was placed in front of an unhappy Izzy.

"Really, Mia, I don't need it..."

"Drink." It was an order, not a request.

"But I hate the stuff…"

Maria slammed her hands on the counter, her dark brown eyes blazing. "Drink!"

Izzy growled, but obeyed, making a face at the bitter taste. He lifted glass fourteen with a wry smile and saluted her. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed for the first time since the nightmare had started. Bella, comforted by his good mood, sidled up to him and he put his arm around her. He breathed in her scent, happy to note that his monster didn't even stir.

"Your wounds are looking better," she said to him.

He looked at his naked chest and noticed that the blue streaks were fading.

"The anti-venom is working. He'll be completely healed by tomorrow," Maria told them.

"Will Izzy be okay too?" he asked, eyeing the angry blue welts on the woman's arm with concern.

"She's too stubborn to be affected," Maria complained.

"Hmph," Izzy grumped.

"All the same, you both should rest. The anti-venom will counteract the poison, but you're still recovering. Neither of you should tax yourselves right now."

She'd used the plural, but Edward knew from her face that she was speaking primarily to Izzy. He had a feeling that resting and taking it easy wasn't in Izzy's genetic make-up.

"I still have to take them back," Izzy countered.

"No, you don't. I'll drive them home in my car," Maria answered.

Izzy looked at Maria with an incredulous expression on her face and put down the empty mug. "If you think you're leaving the safety of the shield without me, you're crazy."

"And you're too drained to Jump yourself, let alone two others with you. We killed all three of them. I should be fine," Maria retorted, her hands on her hips.

"I can protect my mother," Vincent added, punching one hand into his palm.

Edward had seen what those hands could do, and he had no doubt that the boy was telling the truth.

Izzy did not look convinced, however. "Where do you guys live?"

"Actually, my car is at the end of the one-ten. If you could just drop us off there, I can drive us back myself," he replied, finishing off glass fourteen.

"You should let Bella drive. You're not going to be in any shape to handle a car pretty soon," Izzy warned.

He shook his head. "I'm fine. Feeling much better now thanks to you."

Izzy snorted and looked at Maria, a private joke in both of their eyes. It was Maria who spoke.

"Actually, the effect of the anti-venom won't reach full potency for about another hour. After that, you'll probably feel very lethargic and out of sorts. You'll most likely spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping."

He gave them a hard look. "I can't sleep."

Maria met his gaze calmly but without reserve. "You will today."

"Impossible. I haven't slept in over a hundred years. I doubt that is going to change anytime soon."

The black-haired woman shrugged, and he once again got the impression that he'd seen her before, but he still couldn't place the face. It was frustrating. He tried to read her mind, but felt a mental wall go up the moment he attempted to probe her thoughts.

_'She can block,'_ Izzy told him. _'I can too. Reading minds without permission is rude.'_

He blinked and would have blushed if he could. _'I've never had anyone who could actually tell I was doing it who could do anything about it,'_ he apologized.

_'You haven't spent too much time with Gifted people have you?'_

_'Define Gifted.'_

Izzy didn't answer because Maria was speaking again. "In any case, you'll be feeling the effects of the anti-venom shortly. I should get you back to your car so you can be safely home before it hits."

"I'm still not comfortable with you leaving the shield without me," Izzy countered.

Maria gave her an exasperated look. "And you will be unconscious in forty minutes. There's no way you're up to coming. I know where I'm going; I'll be back in less than an hour. Vincent will go with me. We'll be fine."

"If Zolan finds out I let you go somewhere by yourself…"

"_Zolan_ will know that you were hurt in a battle with three Komodo Demons and needed to recuperate. If he has a problem with you resting, he can take it up with me."

"Zolan knows," a new voice spoke. It was almost a whisper and very deep.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Four

Edward whipped his head around to look towards the doorway to the kitchen. He'd had no sense of the newcomer, no warning or whiff of a new scent. He was just _there_ where nothing had been a moment before.

The figure was tall and very thin, dressed from head to toe in black with a long, high-collared black coat and black boots. His hair was also black, medium-length and reminded him of his own in the way the layers laid upon each other. His eyes were blazing ruby red. It had to be Vincent's father.

His suspicions were confirmed when the boy cried out happily, "Dad!"

He took a deep breath through his nose, breathing in the Fire Demon's scent and memorizing it. It was acrid, reminiscent of brimstone or smoldering ashes mixed with a scent that was almost human.

_'So this is what a Fire Demon smells like.'_ He wouldn't forget.

Vincent ran to his father, stopping just in front of him, his hands at his sides, but Edward could tell he was aching to throw his arms around the man. Zolan looked down at his son and placed one hand on the boy's shoulder. It was enough. Vincent lurched forward and wrapped his arms around his father's waist.

"Dad! I'm so glad you are here! We got attacked by a pack of Komodo Demons! I took one down with my fireballs. Izzy had to finish it off, but I wounded it, and…"

Zolan raised a single finger and Vincent immediately stopped his tale, breathing heavily, and they both looked at Maria who was now facing Zolan with an odd expression on her face. Edward thought the look on the Fire Demon's face was odd as well, but he knew better than to try to probe the man's mind. If Izzy and Maria could block him… Izzy gave a short grunt and a small nod, supporting his wary thoughts.

"Zolan," Maria spoke, but there were layers upon layers in the single word.

"Maria."

Silence ensued for the next ten seconds.

"You heard?" Maria finally asked.

There was a rustle and a new figure appeared from behind Zolan. This creature was humanoid only in that it appeared to have two arms and two legs and a human-looking face, although the face was androgynous and very, very beautiful. It was dressed in flowing, diaphanous, pale green robes that were just a shade lighter than its very long greenish-colored hair.

Edward was afraid at first, but then he saw Izzy's face and noticed that she had immediately relaxed. Whatever it was, it was no threat. He breathed in again and caught the scent of ozone and flowers, like how the earth smelled after a spring rain. It was a pleasant, comforting smell that eased his fears.

"T'eir!" Vincent greeted happily, giving a name to the newcomer.

T'eir smiled benevolently and lifted one long fingered hand. Edward counted only four fingers, each digit twice as long as a human's and very thin, like bones or branches. He floated more than moved, or flowed more than walked, although Edward could see his bare four-toed feet moving as he crossed the kitchen floor.

"We heard a rumor, my dear. That assassins had been dispatched from Sylthcania. We are unhappy to find that the rumors were true," T'eir said in a light tenor.

Edward knew his voice was velvet and honey. It was a side effect of his vampiric condition that his voice was pleasing to his prey, but T'eir's voice was silk, sliding effortlessly over the listener, soft and soothing. It made even him relax.

"We killed them," Izzy replied, the edge of defiance and cynicism gone from her voice.

T'eir approached, his movements reminding Edward of a bird in how he cocked his head. His eyes were long and slanted, the irises a vivid green against his pale skin. He also noticed that he had small, conical-shaped ears that peeked out from his long hair.

"Of course you did. Was there ever any doubt?" T'eir said as he reached them and took up Izzy's injured hand in his long one. "But you were wounded."

"It's just a scratch. It grazed me when I was Jumping the girl out of harm's way."

Izzy pointed her chin towards Bella, but T'eir merely flicked a quick glance at her. Izzy's answer, however, told him that she'd been hurt while saving Bella's life. He was considering that when he realized that T'eir was looking at him.

"You were badly hurt as well. But healing now," the creature said, then turned his head to smile at Maria. "You brewed the anti-venom."

Maria smiled and blushed. "I used the recipe you taught me."

"You are my most gifted student," T'eir complimented with pride.

He'd been trying to be patient, to wait until things were explained to him. The afternoon had been so unbelievably confusing that he almost couldn't process it all, and the arrival of these two individuals who were so obviously _not_ human was too much. He couldn't stand it anymore. He needed answers. _Now._

_'What is that?'_ he demanded of Izzy.

_'That's T'eir. He's a Plant Weaver.'_

_'A what?'_

"A Plant Weaver," T'eir answered, proving that he was also a telepath.

He startled and tried to hide his embarrassment, but the Plant Weaver only smiled and lifted his arms. From the folds of his robes came vines that snaked across the counter towards them and erupted into huge, fragrant blooms.

"Oh!" he heard Bella gasp as the kitchen filled with the sweet scent of gardenias.

T'eir smiled, plucked one of the white flowers and handed it to Bella with the tips of his long fingers. Bella blushed, but accepted the gift. He bristled, not wanting the thing to touch his fiancée, but then he felt a warning heaviness in his limbs that told him Izzy was watching and she was ready to stop him from doing something stupid.

_'T'eir is benign. He doesn't mean your girl any harm, but if you do what you're thinking, Zolan __**will**__ kill you,'_ she told him with all seriousness.

He shuddered under the dark red gaze and backed down.

_'Good choice.'_

"Thank you. It's beautiful," Bella said, holding the large flower in her hands.

"It will go very nicely in your dark hair, don't you think?"

He saw Bella gulp and nod. "Yeah."

"But who are you and how did you come to be here?" T'eir asked.

He grumbled to himself and thought that he could ask the same questions.

"He's Edward Cullen and the girl is his fiancée, Bella Swan. They almost became… collateral damage," Izzy answered.

"I see," was all the Plant Weaver said.

"But I need to get them back to Edward's car. The anti-venom will be reaching full potency soon, and I want them safely home before then," Maria interrupted.

"Yes, of course. A wise thing to do."

"I was going to Jump them," Izzy commented.

There was a flash of anger in T'eir's green eyes, but it was gone almost instantly. "You are in no condition to Jump anywhere, my dear."

"It's alright. I was going to drive them back," Maria said.

Now T'eir looked at her curiously. "Alone?"

"I was going with her," Vincent added, a sullen look on his face.

"But of course."

Zolan took a step forward, his message clear.

"Zolan will go with you, Maria. No one would dare to come after you as long as he is there," T'eir said.

She looked at the Fire Demon and Edward had a hard time reading the emotion on her face. She didn't seem unhappy that he would be her escort, but she didn't look too overjoyed either.

"If you are willing…" she offered.

Zolan nodded once, his face neutral, and Edward got the impression that he was a man of very few words.

"Alright then. I'll get my keys," Maria agreed, moving to pick up a purse and set of car keys from a side counter by the back door.

Both he and Bella stood, and he was concerned to feel a little unsteady on his feet. He corrected his lack of balance almost instantly, but not before he'd seen Izzy give him a knowing look. He scowled and locked his knees until the tingles in his legs faded.

"I'm also going to give you the Blood Vine to take with you if you think you will find it useful," Maria added, walking back towards them.

"Yes, please. My family would greatly benefit from it," he answered immediately in his most polite voice.

Benefit couldn't even begin to describe what having something like that would do for his family. He'd consumed almost a gallon of it, and he hadn't felt so satisfied or full in decades, creeping weakness from the anti-venom notwithstanding. Her offer had him nearly salivating all over again, but he kept his face calm and neutral.

"Then I am happy to give it to you," she said, going to the bay window and picking up the planter pot with the Blood Vine.

The vine was now sprawled over much of the windowsill, numerous nectar pods hanging heavily from the branches. He moved to help her carry it, but was surprised to find himself oddly slow.

_'Anti-venom's getting to you now,'_ Izzy teased.

He ignored her and forced himself to walk forward and offer to take the pot.

"I'll carry that for you, if you'd like," he said.

"I'll get it," Bella interrupted, moving beside him and lifting the pot from Maria before he could take it. He scowled at her, but she ignored him.

"You can support the dragging vines," Maria offered, draping the long, leafy strands across his arms.

He soon realized that the vines were considerably heavier than the planter pot, and he gave her a knowing smile. She winked at him, then turned to lead the way out of the kitchen.

"We'll be back soon," she said, speaking to T'eir and Izzy. "Take care of her. Make sure she _rests._"

"She will even if I have to put her in a stasis pod," T'eir replied with all seriousness.

"You wouldn't dare," Izzy hissed.

"I'll sit on her. In half an hour she won't be able to lift me," Vincent piped up cheerfully.

Izzy growled, but Maria just laughed.

"Whatever it takes. We'll be back."

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Five

Maria led the way out of the kitchen, down a short hall to a garage where a Subaru Outback wagon was parked. It was a practical car for the climate and weather in the Pacific Northwest, but he noticed that Zolan looked at it with a distinct expression of distain.

"You don't have to come…" Maria said, pausing at the driver's side door, her keys in her hand.

Zolan's answer was a glare as he yanked the front passenger door open and slid into the bucket seat. Maria said nothing as she opened back hatch and helped them put the Blood Vine into the cargo area.

"You don't have to be gentle with it," she said as they shoved the sprawling plant into the car. "It's very hardy and can take a lot of abuse. Once you get it home, plant it in partial shade with plenty of room to spread. It grows very fast so you have to be careful not to let it take over and choke out native flora. If you give it a trellis or something to climb, it'll be very happy and be easier to contain. The pods are fibrous and tough, but they burst open when boiled."

He nodded, hoping Bella was listening. She was the cook. He'd always planned to learn, but other things kept getting in the way, like rogue Tracker vampires, weddings, and werewolves. He also hated to admit it, but he was definitely feeling a slowdown in his body, and he knew he wasn't thinking clearly.

He got into the rear seat with Bella beside him, and he leaned his head on her shoulder as Maria backed the car out of the garage. Bella's scent and heartbeat soothed him, and he closed his eyes.

"Edward, are you okay?" his fiancée asked worriedly.

He felt her hand stroking his hair. It was such a wonderful sensation. Her touch was amazing to him, all warm and fragrant.

"I feel much better," he replied.

"Oh, Edward, I was so scared. When that thing bit you and threw you across the clearing, I didn't know what to do. I thought it had killed you, and I wanted it to kill me too!"

She was serious and that frightened him the most. Somewhere in front of them, he heard a disgusted grunt.

"Bella…" he whispered.

"Then that woman, Izzy, showed up and she did something that tossed the thing right into the air. She didn't even touch it! How did she do that?"

Her question was irritating because it implied that he knew the answer, which, of course, he didn't. He knew it was unfair to be angry with her, but he was still sore from his wounds and growing more and more tired by the moment.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Izzy can manipulate life energy and create pressure waves," Maria explained. "It's one of her talents. She hit the Komodo Demon with one of them to knock it away from you."

"She saved our lives. We didn't say thank you," Bella answered.

"We couldn't let it hurt anyone," was all Maria said in reply.

He didn't know where they were driving from or how Maria was going to get them to the one-ten. He'd had no sense of where Izzy had Jumped them or where the house was located – other than somewhere in the ubiquitous forest surrounding Forks. He tried to pay attention to what direction they were traveling and take note of the local scents, but nothing was staying with him.

If he'd been human, he would have said he was exhausted and about to fall asleep, but that was impossible because he was a vampire. Still, his body felt heavy and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. The weariness frightened him because he didn't understand what was happening. He knew Maria said he would fall asleep, but there was no way she could be right. Vampires didn't sleep. That was an absolute fact. So why was he feeling so lethargic now? Was it the venom? If he lost consciousness would he ever wake up? Was he going to die even after drinking the anti-venom? Was the Blood Vine actually a vampire-killing poison?

He forced his eyes to stay open, keeping them wide, and stopped breathing. Zolan turned his head to look at him over the front seat, his crimson eyes blazing. The expression on the Fire Demon's face was one of irritation and impatience, his thin mouth held in a tight line, and Edward could tell what he was thinking even if he couldn't read Zolan's thoughts.

_'I'm behaving like a complete idiot.'_

Zolan snorted through his nose and turned his head back to the road, settling his shoulders against the seat with a huff. The silent rebuke made him feel silly for panicking, but how was he to know what was going on? He'd never been bitten by a venomous reptile before, and the last time he'd been bitten by anything venomous… well, the result of _that_ injury was why he was still alive so to speak. He couldn't be expected to know what was happening or to entrust his life (and Bella's life) to a complete stranger just because she had a talent for making plants grow.

Zolan grunted again and he huffed back, crossing his arms sullenly even as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He was reminded of how Bella had fought against her exhaustion on the trip back from Italy, how she had drank soda and refused to fall asleep until they had gotten back to Forks. Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury of being able to suck down a Coke for the caffeine.

"Stop it," Maria chided softly, and he wasn't sure if she was talking to him or Zolan.

"Maria, Edward's having a hard time staying awake," he heard Bella say, her voice worried. Who needed to read his mind when he was so obvious?

"I told you, it's the anti-venom. It'll knock him out," the woman explained.

"Will he really sleep?"

"Yes."

"But he says he can't sleep. He hasn't slept in… a really long time."

"He has no need to sleep under normal conditions, but he'll sleep if you drug him."

"But he'll wake up, right? The drug will wear off and he'll wake up."

Zolan huffed with annoyance but said nothing.

"Of course he'll wake up," Maria answered gently, her voice patient. "And he'll feel one hundred percent better when he does because the anti-venom will have gotten rid of all the poison."

"Vampires. Don't. Sleep," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"You will today, and the longer you fight it, the longer it will take for the anti-venom to work," she stated firmly.

He groaned, shuddering as he fought the exhaustion, but didn't answer. He stared out the window, not blinking or breathing, for the next fifteen minutes until Maria parked the car next to his Volvo at the end of the one-ten. Bella let go of him and he shakily got out of the Subaru, forcing his knees to support his weight as he stood. Bella was already at the cargo area of the car, helping Maria get the Blood Vine out. Zolan stayed where he was in the front seat.

"A single serving usually takes four to six pods, more if he hasn't fed in several days. You saw him drink twelve pods worth today, but that was an exception," he heard Maria explaining as they carried the dragging vines over to the Volvo.

"Okay. Edward, I need the keys," Bella said as he made himself walk, with human slowness, to the car.

"It's unlocked," he answered.

She nodded and opened the car door to pop open the trunk. He reached the Volvo as they were finishing stuffing the plant in; it was almost too big to fit.

"For one serving, boil two cups of water and put the pods into it. They should burst within three minutes. Once the pods are open, strain the liquid through a sieve to remove the seeds and pod husks, and give it to him while it's hot. You can save the seeds for future planting and the husks make good fertilizer for the vine beds," Maria continued.

"When do I flavor it?" she asked.

_'Flavor it?'_ he wondered, then remembered Maria squeezing the lemon into the liquid. _'Oh.'_

"Anytime during the boiling process. If you add herbs, you'll have to strain them out with the seeds and husks. He can't have anything solid; his digestive tract can't handle it."

"Okay. That's good to know."

He was stumbling over to the driver's side door, fumbling for the keys in his pocket, when Bella grabbed his arm.

"You're not driving," she said firmly, her jaw set.

"I'm okay. My reflexes are better…"

"Not today," she argued, snagging the keys from his hand. Somehow he couldn't manage to stop her. He should have been able to stop her. What was wrong with him?

"I have to get back home. Zolan hates the car," Maria apologized. "You'll be alright?"

He saw Bella nod. "Yeah. Thanks again for everything."

Maria smiled and waved as she got back into the Subaru. The car had pulled away and was already out of sight before he could string a coherent sentence together. He was about to argue with Bella over who should drive when a yellow Porsche came careening towards them.

Alice was out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop. "Edward!"

Her thoughts were a jumble to his already muddled mind, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut against the barrage.

_'You disappeared! I saw you attacked by this horrible thing, then you disappeared! I couldn't See you! We've been frantic. Carlisle even called Billy Black because I thought you might be on Quileute land for some reason, but you weren't there. The pack went looking for you and they found a charred corpse! What happened? Edward, where have you been?'_

"Alice! Alice!" Bella was calling, coming to his rescue. "Edward was bitten by that thing. Its bite was venomous."

"Venomous?"

"We were helped by these… people. They were hunting the Komodo Demon. Izzy brought us back to their house to give Edward the anti-venom."

"Who is Izzy? What's a Komodo Demon?"

He watched Bella hand Alice the keys. "I'll explain everything once we get Edward back home. He needs to lie down. The anti-venom is going to knock him unconscious any minute."

"Unconscious? But…?"

"Alice, _please_."

"What is going on? What's happening to Edward? He feels horrible," Jasper gasped.

"We have to get him back to the house. I'll tell you all everything I know, but please, we need to get Edward home first," Bella pleaded.

He wanted to tell them he was fine, that they were worried for no reason, but Alice was already moving. Jasper picked him up and put him in the backseat of the Volvo. He should have been angry to be manhandled so roughly, but everything was getting farther away. Bella was with him, snuggled beside him, her hand stroking his hair again as she whispered little platitudes in his ear. He was staring straight ahead, unable to really move or think, feeling the rushing of the car as Alice drove at breakneck speed towards home. One would think she was driving her Porsche with how fast she was going.

He shivered as darkness crept up to claim his vision, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He felt like he was sinking, getting further and further away from the surface. Bella's face looked down at him through a fog, and he was suddenly very afraid.

_'But will I dream?'_ he wondered as the darkness took its hold.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: Ok, from here the story goes even more AU. Thanks for the reviews so far. I'm glad you guys are liking it. I do have it almost done, and I plan to post it all in the next several days. I will warn you that it goes askew in the next couple of chapters, but I hope it entertains. Don't worry, Bella and Edward are still an item, no whacko matchmaking occurs, no vamp-pregnancy, the relationships are all canon, and there might even be a little Edward X Bella nookie depending on if they'll cooperate for a wedding night scene (you know how private Edward is). Promise. But the storyline'll be different, maybe it'll win 'The Weirdest Twilight Fic' award. I dunno. I'm still not sure why I'm writing this other than I just can't seem to stop. I hate it when this happens.

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Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Six

He was floating. Everything was peaceful. There was no pain, no danger, no fear or want. He was in a perfect place with no sense of time or substance, and he was completely content. Somewhere above him there was a voice speaking softly, calling him, and he knew the voice, loved the one who spoke, loved her dearly as he loved the other half of his self.

_'Bella…'_

"Edward," his beloved said, tugging the strings of his heart.

He turned towards the voice, searching in the nothingness for her light.

_'Bella.'_

"Edward. Wake up, Edward."

_'Wake up? Am I asleep? Am I dreaming?'_

"Wake up, Edward. Open your eyes."

_ 'But of course, my love. Anything for you.'_

He twitched, becoming aware of his physical body. It smelled like home, like his bedroom. The softness underneath him had to be his bed – soon to be his and Bella's bed once they were married. There were other scents that were familiar to him, and one heartbeat that called to him like a Siren. He smiled and raised his eyelids.

The first face that came into focus was his beloved's, but Emmett's was right next to hers, and he felt his brother's hand firmly on his shoulder, holding him down.

_'She wouldn't leave the room when you started to wake. She wanted to be the first thing you saw. But we were afraid that you'd…'_

_'Attack her before I was fully conscious,'_ he finished silently. Yes, they were right to worry that the monster would wake before the man.

"Oh, Edward!" Bella cried and threw her arms around him while he was still prone.

_'No sense of self-preservation,'_ he grumbled, but there was no need to fear. His monster was silent; sated and content. Emmett seemed to understand that there was no danger of him biting Bella so his brother eased up his hold and sat back.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Alice asked, her face swimming into his vision.

He moved his jaw, but found it took him a bit to make his mouth work. "How long…?" he choked, his voice thick and raspy.

"About twelve hours. Bella's been telling us the most amazing story while you were out. Are you thirsty? There's a pot of this awesome stuff you brought home simmering on the stove downstairs."

His memories were a little fuzzy, but they were starting to come back. "The Blood Vine?"

Alice nodded. "Bella taught us how to cook it, and Esme has it draped on a trellis near the garage. When they found out it could be flavored, she and Rosalie ran out to get chocolate. I've never had it, or if I have, I don't remember, but it's pretty good."

"Jasper…?" Jasper was the one he felt would benefit the most.

"He's happy. He likes it; though he and Emmett both say they'll still hunt. But it's good to have between hunting trips. He says it'll make it a lot easier for him to resist killing humans."

He smiled. Excellent. It was exactly as he had hoped. "Great."

"How are you feeling?" Bella asked him, sitting up.

"Never better," he replied with a grin. It was true. He was feeling wonderful, fantastic even.

Bella returned his smile then gave him a wicked look.

"What?" he asked, not liking the smug expression on her face.

"You talk in your sleep."

"I do not! Alice, did I?" He cast her a pleading look.

His sister giggled. "Only the last ten minutes, but yeah. You were moaning and calling Bella's name. Sounded very… suggestive."

"Alice!" he huffed, mortified.

His sister just laughed.

"I hear the Prodigal has awakened," Carlisle's voice interrupted, full of good humor and a little relief.

"Lo, Lazarus has risen," he joked with a weak smile.

_'Seriously, how are you feeling? I pulled a four-inch serrated tooth out of your side eight hours ago.'_

"I'm feeling really good actually."

His father sat down on the mattress, appraising him with his eyes.

"Do you feel any residual pain? Any weakness or dizziness?"

He did a mental check on himself, sweeping out the last of the cobwebs from his brain and shook his head. "No. I don't think so."

"Why don't you get up and come downstairs. All of us would like to talk to you about what happened. Bella told us what she remembers, but we're hoping you can add some details."

He sat up, taking a glance at his torso to find that the wounds were no more than dark smudges on his white skin. "I don't know how much more I'll be able to tell you. I was too badly hurt to pay much attention to what was happening, and afterwards the anti-venom… well, you saw what it did."

Carlisle nodded. "It was very disturbing to see you unconscious. We were very happy when you showed signs of waking. Do you feel rested?"

"Absolutely."

"Come downstairs then."

He looked at his fiancée and smiled. "In a few minutes."

Carlisle nodded knowingly and stood, then he, Alice and Emmett left the room, leaving him alone with Bella.

"Bella? Are you alright?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"I am now that you're awake. When you were sleeping, you were really dead. You didn't move or breathe or anything. After you were out for eight hours, we really started to get worried. Carlisle had to call Charlie to tell him I wouldn't be home because I refused to leave your side," she answered, hugging him again.

He grimaced. Chief Swan wouldn't be happy with him for keeping Bella out all night. Then again, what could the man do? Bella was over eighteen, and they would be married in less than a month.

"What did Carlisle tell him?"

"That you got a bad case of food poisoning and were really, really sick."

Well, that was one way of putting it. "Okay, I suppose that's as good an explanation as anything."

"Well, it's not like we could tell him we were attacked by a giant lizard. Which, by the way, was found by Sam's Pack. They want to know what's going on. I told Carlisle we'd call Billy."

"And tell him what?" he blurted.

"The truth, I guess. It wouldn't be good to lie to them. The wolves know what they found wasn't human or vampire."

"Izzy told me that they were demon assassins. She implied that they had been sent to kill Maria," he recalled, remembering how protective and concerned the woman had been for Maria's safety.

"Or her son. I think they were both targets," Bella added.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"But why?"

"I don't know."

Bella flushed and looked away. "Carlisle wanted to know where Izzy had taken us, but I couldn't tell him. I had no idea where we were."

"Me either."

"That's going to be a problem because they want to know more. I think Carlisle wants to talk to them. Alice tried to See but she came up with nothing. She said it was like with the werewolves. She couldn't See at all."

Something Izzy said to Maria clicked. "Izzy mentioned a shield. I wonder if it's something that can block Alice's visions."

"I don't know, but it's got them rattled. You know how they hate unknown factors, and it's obvious that Izzy and Maria knew what you were."

They knew a lot more than that, he'd wager.

"And Vincent's dad, Zolan, he gave me the creeps. He was a demon too, wasn't he?"

He nodded. She nodded back, gulping.

"And T'eir, the plant guy, he was… I mean, I know you're not human, but at least you _look_ human. He didn't even look human," she said, shuddering.

"I kinda liked T'eir. He was… restful," he teased.

"Do you think we'll run into them again?" she asked, half afraid. "Do you think it'll be safe to go back to our meadow?"

"I think it will be safe. I have no reason to believe that the Komodo Demons were after us," he answered honestly. "And I hope we see them again. As you already pointed out, we have many questions."

He saw her grudgingly agree, even if the idea of seeing the two women and the boy again did not sit well with her.

"Was Izzy talking to you, y'know mind-to-mind, when we were in the kitchen?" she questioned suddenly.

He nodded. "Yeah. She's a telepath like me."

"I thought so. You were looking really stressed, and your eyes were completely black like they are when you're hungry, but she kept holding onto you, and she looked the way Alice does sometimes when she's thinking at you."

_'She kept me from ripping out your throat and killing everyone in the house,'_ he thought darkly.

"She was helping me… manage the pain." There was no sense in telling her how close she had come to death.

"I figured it was something like that."

He moved to get off the bed. "We should head downstairs. The others are waiting, and I am sure Charlie is wanting you home by now."

"I don't care what Charlie wants."

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her sweetly. "I know, but I've been in enough trouble with my future father-in-law lately. I don't want any more. And it isn't like I won't be sneaking in through your bedroom window tonight anyway," he replied, smiling the little half-smile he knew she loved best.

She sighed. "That's the one thing I am really looking forward to about going to Dartmouth. Our own apartment, no curfews, no one else around…"

His body responded in a very human way to her soft tone and wistful suggestion, and he bit back a groan. "I know."

She was kind and didn't remind him that she'd be dead as well, per their agreement. He didn't want to think about turning her, not when she was so warm on his bed and her heartbeat was thudding in his ears. He leaned forward and kissed her again, more deeply this time, breathing in her scent through his mouth and letting it fill his sinuses. It was the closest to Heaven he would ever get…

"We should go downstairs," he finally repeated, forcing himself to put some distance between them.

She only pouted a little. If she'd pouted more, he never would have found the strength to get off the bed. All the same, he did manage to stand and go to his closet to get a clean shirt.

The rest of his family was waiting for them when they descended the stairs to the first floor. They were all gathered in the kitchen, seated at the island counter in the center of the room and watching while Esme stirred a pot on the stove. He could smell the simmering Blood Vine from across the room, and his stomach clenched in hunger. How could he be hungry when he'd just consumed a gallon of the stuff less than twenty-four hours ago?

Rosalie was sitting prettily at the counter, holding a tall glass full of the crimson liquid, a dreamy look on her face as she sipped the juice. There was a box of expensive chocolates lying open on the countertop, several empty wrappers strewn across the granite.

"Happy, Rose?" he commented, noting her blissful expression.

"I don't remember much that was good about my life as a human, but I do remember chocolate. There were these little wrapped sweets Papa used to bring back from Europe. I used to love them," his blonde sister sighed. She reached over and plopped a chocolate nugget into her glass, stirring it with an iced tea spoon until it melted. "I have twelve boxes of it on order. It'll be here next week." She drank deeply and let out another sigh of pleasure. "Have I told you lately how much I love you, Edward?"

He cast a worried look at Emmett, but his biggest brother only had eyes for Rosalie, watching her with a predatory hunger as she drank, and he got an unwanted glimpse into Emmett's lustful thoughts that had him squirming with unsatisfied need. Rosalie's weren't much better. It would seem that chocolate was an aphrodisiac in vampires too.

"Uh, no," he stammered.

"Hmmmm. You are the best brother in the whole world. I take back every nasty thing I've ever said about you."

"Well… okay. But you really can't credit me for this. All I did was get bit by a big lizard."

"Yes. A very big lizard," Carlisle said, placing a huge tooth down on the counter. He shuddered just looking at it.

"Tell us what you remember, Edward."

He sat down at the counter, Bella by his side, and began to tell them his side of what had happened in the clearing and then after. Esme placed a glass of Blood Vine in front of him, and he drank it while he told his tale. Esme refilled it when it was empty, fluttering around the kitchen like a proud mother happy to be able to feed her brood. That came as a surprise to him, although in hindsight, it made sense. Esme was the most maternal of all of them, and the ability to provide for her children was a mother's greatest duty.

Every now and then, one of them would ask a question, and he did his best to answer, but when it came to giving them more information about the women who had saved them, or where they had been taken, he was of no help.

"I'm sure if I came across their scents again, I could track them, but unless I had a reference point…" He trailed off.

"I find it very disturbing that we have two humans who know so much about us, yet we know almost nothing about them," Carlisle commented thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I mean, how did they get past the Volturi?" Bella added.

"You're assuming the Volturi know about them," Jasper said.

"They must not, or they would have killed them by now. Their laws of secrecy are sacrosanct," Carlisle answered.

Edward kept his peace on that. He had no doubt that neither Izzy nor Maria would be easy to kill, not to mention Zolan could probably do quite a bit of damage to the Volturi himself.

"Well… we will keep our eyes and ears open, and be on the watch if our family crosses paths with these women again," his father decided.

"What do you want me to tell the Blacks?" he asked, trying to keep the sneer out of his voice.

"Whatever you feel comfortable revealing, but Billy is waiting for your call," Carlisle replied.

"Alright, I'll call him after I take Bella home."

"Yes, her father is waiting for her."

He finished his third glassful of Blood Vine and stood to place it in the sink.

"I know I would like to meet this Maria, to thank her for her wonderful gift," Esme said fondly.

He smiled and nodded. "She was happy to give it to us, but I am sure she would appreciate the thanks."

He turned to his fiancée and offered her his hand. "We should get you home. I'll call Billy from my cell phone."

She didn't look happy, but she did agree. "Okay."

He gave her another reassuring smile and placed his arm around her, guiding her from the kitchen and out to his car.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: AU. You have been warned. Let the fun begin.

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Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Seven

A week passed. All was quiet on all fronts, and life went on as usual with the exception of the Blood Vine now being his primary food source. It was still nice to hunt when the need to kill something got too strong, an urge that seemed to be more prominent in Emmett and Jasper, but it was no longer an absolute necessity. That meant that he didn't have to leave Bella for any length of time, and that made them both happier.

The wedding was a scant three weeks away. He'd given her the Before car – a Mercedes Guardian on loan from the Israeli consulate in San Francisco, gleefully happy when her dilapidated old truck had gasped its last (he'd had nothing to do with it, but Bella didn't believe him.) The only sadness was in knowing that his beloved missed her best friend, and not just for his skills as a mechanic. He knew that she would call Seth Clearwater every week for updates on the missing boy, but he pretended not to notice. Jacob Black was still a deep wound on her heart, and one that would probably never heal completely.

He'd made some small attempts to find their saviors, going back to the end of the one-ten and trying to catch a hint of Maria's scent, but there was nothing. It was easy to pick up the scents in the clearing, but since Izzy had Jumped them out of there, that was a dead end too. Alice was also having no luck locating them, and that fed his suspicions about the shield even more. He'd told Billy Black as much as he could and reassured the man that the reptile beast was dead and a one-time thing, and not the harbinger of more monsters to come, at least in as much as he believed that himself.

It was on a cloudy day some nine days after the incident when Alice came to him and proposed another baseball game.

"It's going to be a good storm. Plenty of thunder. And I think we could all use the break," she told him.

He'd readily agreed, eager for some lighthearted fun with his family and fiancée, who was sure to come along as both audience and cheering section. Things had been to stressed and serious with the wedding and Jacob's absence, and the fear that more monsters would come roaring out of the woods.

He picked Bella up in Emmett's big Jeep, and they laughed all the way to the end of the road where they left the vehicle. It was delightful to hear her laugh, to see the happy smile on her face. All the dark shadows that had marred her features disappeared every time she smiled and looked at him with love. He parked the Jeep and carried her the rest of the way to the field where his family was waiting.

It was shaping up to be a normal night with nothing but fun on the agenda when Alice suddenly gasped and went rigid, dropping the ball she had been about to pitch. The game immediately stopped as they gathered around her.

"Alice? What do you See?" he demanded worriedly, knowing from the look on her face that it wasn't good.

He saw her answer in her mind before she spoke: two strange vampires heading towards them from the south. He had nightmares of James and Victoria all over again.

"I'll take Bella home…" he announced, trying not to panic.

"It's too late. Besides they'll smell her all over us," Alice countered.

"There's only two of them," Emmett argued. "If they so much as look at her funny, we'll just kill them."

Not even Carlisle would argue the point, not after what had happened in the past year.

"Why didn't you See them coming beforehand?" he complained.

Alice gave him an exasperated look. "You _know_ my gift is imperfect. They just decided now to come this way. I couldn't See them coming before because they hadn't been planning it ahead of time."

"Edward, don't worry. We won't take any chances," Jasper reassured him, and he felt his brother using his gift of Empathy to calm him down. Jasper's talent had gotten much stronger since he had been on the Blood Vine, the steady food supply taking much of the suffering away from the newest member of the family.

Bella wasn't convinced, but what could she do? She stayed close and he kept a watchful eye out, ready for anything. He could smell her terror, however, and he didn't need to read her mind to know she was thinking _'not again, not again, not again.'_ He had no way of assuring her that there was no way he was going to allow anyone who was even the remotest danger to her to leave the field alive.

The newcomers arrived ten minutes later, a mated pair, ragged and half-wild and not more than a few years old. Carlisle greeted them formally, but Edward could already see how it was going to end. They were all gathered around Bella, waiting for the moment the newcomers would smell her and the killing would begin, when three things happened at once.

First, the nomads caught wind of Bella and snarled. Second, Edward snarled back and took up a defensive position in front of his fiancée. Third, both newcomers spontaneously exploded, falling to the earth in burning hunks. The head of the male landed at Edward's feet, still blinking.

There was a moment of stunned silence, then they looked to the trees directly behind where the newcomers had just been. Standing there, her thumbs shoved casually into the belt loops of her jeans, was a figure Edward recognized.

_'Izzy…'_

"Izzy," Bella breathed. He heard his family gasp when his fiancée spoke the name aloud.

"I hope they weren't friends of yours," the woman said casually, taking a step forward.

Carlisle, not easily nonplussed, recovered quickly. "No. They were strangers to us."

Izzy nodded and took another step forward, kicking a smoldering piece of dead vampire with the toe of her sneaker. "That's good. I wouldn't want to cause an incident."

"No. There was no danger of that happening," Carlisle assured, taking a step forward as well to bring himself face-to-face with the woman, only a few feet of space between them.

"I didn't think so with how they were thinking Girlfriend over there'd make a nummy treat and all. I doubted Lover-Boy would have liked that much." Izzy's voice sounded bored, but Edward knew better.

"Ah, no," Carlisle agreed.

Behind him Emmett was snickering. _'Lover-Boy. Ooo-hoo.'_ Edward cast him a baleful glare.

"It's good I was here then. Saved you guys some grief." Flick of an eye to the others in his family. She was sizing them up, gauging their strength.

Edward tensed, but not the way he had been when the newcomers were threatening. He didn't _think_ there was any danger. Judging by what he had just seen, if she had wanted them dead, they would probably already be under siege. Izzy cast him a knowing glance, but her mind was silent, shielded.

"Fortuitous, actually. We'd been hoping to speak with you," Carlisle said diplomatically.

Izzy shrugged. "I figured as much."

"How did you know where to come?" Alice piped up, coming to stand next to Carlisle. Jasper flanked her, backing up her shoulder.

_'How dangerous is this woman?'_ he heard Carlisle ask.

What could he say? She'd just slaughtered two vampires without even breaking a sweat. How fast could she kill seven of them? He had no answer for his father, only that he remained calm – on the surface at least. It was Bella who was visibly relieved. _She_ had no fear that Izzy would harm any of them.

"I've got markers set within a fifteen mile radius of our property. Anything non-human coming into it triggers a warning. If it's dangerous, I deal with it."

Her words were casual, but the threat was very real, and Edward suddenly realized that his pleading for Bella's life on the day they were attacked by the Komodo Demon had probably saved his entire family's lives.

_'No. We knew you were here. Your coven is pretty infamous. It was your begging for her life that identified you as a member of the Cullen Coven,'_ Izzy corrected.

_'Hmm.'_ It was a new piece of information that confirmed a suspicion.

"Do you anticipate much trouble?" Carlisle asked shrewdly.

Izzy's posture changed a little to a slightly more defensive one. It was just a subtle shifting of her weight, but Edward noticed it. He'd bet Carlisle did too. He was acutely aware of the silent standoff between her and Carlisle, each trying to prove their strength without having to expend any energy. What happened next would be a very delicate dance as the two dominant predators (for was there any doubt that this woman was a predator?) decided what to do with each other.

"Can't hurt to be too prepared," the woman replied. Her tone and body language were saying that she hadn't come to fight them, but that she would if they forced her. Carlisle read the silent message too and incrementally relaxed, taking a bit of pressure off the tense situation.

As before, Edward got the impression that there was more going on than met the eye. He also knew that it was doubtful the real situation would be explained. He only hoped his family would be content with half-answers.

"I must say that I'm impressed with the… efficiency with which you killed them," Carlisle noted, probing.

"Yeah, well I've been killing demons for the past seven years. I'm really good at it," Izzy answered as if blowing two vampires to smithereens was something she did every day.

He saw Carlisle open his mouth to say something else when Vincent came running out of the woods, panting heavily. He skidded to a halt beside Izzy, took one look at the pieces of dead vampire strewn on the ground, and balled his hands into fists.

"Izzy! You _promised!_" the boy accused.

The woman didn't even look at him. Instead she kept her eyes on Carlisle. "Plans changed, kid."

"No! You swore to me you'd let me kill the next one!" Vincent insisted, practically stamping his feet.

"There were two of them," Izzy answered drolly.

"That's not the point!" the boy cried in frustration. "Dad wants me to practice. That's the whole reason we moved out here! I'm supposed to be _training._ I'm ten years old! Dad was killing sixth level demons by the time he was _eight!_"

Izzy gave him an incredulous look. "You make that sound like it's a good thing."

The statement did little to mollify the boy who only got angrier. "How am I supposed to get any better if you never let me _kill_ anything!"

There was a hissing noise and Edward noticed steam coming from the boy's hands. He remembered the fireballs Vincent could throw and shifted his weight to further shield Bella, just in case.

"Put a lid on it, Sparky," Izzy warned, giving the boy a stern look.

Vincent shook out his hands and snorted. "I'm fine. I'm not going to lose control. I was just ready to fight."

Izzy sighed and appeared to give in, rolling her eyes.

"Okay. Look, it was a split decision that I had to make right away. I'm sorry if I upset you. If it makes you feel better, I'll let you kill the next one."

The offer made Vincent pause and look at her with a critical eye.

"You promise?" His voice was guarded, waiting for the 'but' to reveal itself.

"If it's Level 5 or lower, it's yours. Anything higher than 5 is still mine, kid. Sorry," Izzy answered.

Vincent considered her words for a moment, then relaxed and nodded. "Okay. Deal?"

"Deal."

Vincent offered the pinky of his right hand. "Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear," Izzy affirmed, hooking the pinky of her right hand into Vincent's and shaking it.

"Okay." Vincent smiled, all his anger gone. Just like a child.

"But hey if you want to practice, you can get rid of what's left. Gather up the pieces and take them out with Black Fire. One blast," Izzy suggested, waving a hand towards the dead vampires.

"One blast?" Vincent confirmed, not too confident.

"One blast."

Vincent eyed the charred chunks, then took notice of the rest of them.

"Oh, hi again," he greeted happily, then saw the ball and bat in Emmett's hands and his eyes opened wide. "Hey! Are you guys playing _baseball?_ Can I play? Please?" he pleaded. "Izzy, can I?"

The rest of them had been watching the exchange between the woman and the boy in stunned silence, but now they cast questioning glances at each other, looking for consensus, and for what to do.

_'He can keep up if that's what you're worried about. Put him in the outfield. He's a great field player,'_ Izzy told him.

Edward nodded and passed the message onto Carlisle, speaking too low for human ears to hear. Carlisle acknowledged the message with a nod of his own.

"Our game is open to anyone who loves the sport," Carlisle said, smiling at the child.

Vincent grinned, looking for all the world like a normal ten-year old, and not a kid who was just complaining about not being able to commit homicide. "Awesome!"

And just like that, all of the tension drained out of the situation. Izzy relaxed, Carlisle relaxed, and everything returned to its usual surreal normalcy, except that now there were three beating hearts in the field instead of one.

"Hey, hey," Izzy cautioned, stopping Vincent before he could run off to the outfield. "Practice?" she reminded, cocking her head towards what was left of the two nomads.

Vincent deflated slightly. "Oh. Yeah. Five minutes, okay guys?"

"We're happy to wait," Carlisle answered, an amused smile on his lips. _'And the longer we wait, the more time we have with this new person.'_

Edward heard the thought and shared the sentiment, although he had no doubts that Izzy had just heard them too.

Vincent grinned again and hurried to gather up the pieces of the two vampires and put them in a pile several feet away on the edge of the forest.

"You could help, y'know," the boy said sullenly to Izzy.

She shrugged. "Hey, I kill 'em, you grill 'em. Them's the rules."

The statement made them chuckle, further breaking the stress, and Izzy gave him a wry smile.

"We'll help you," Alice offered, stepping up to help pick up the chunks of white, hard flesh.

"Thanks," Vincent said, then grabbed the female's head, looking at the dead face. "Huh. She wasn't very pretty. My mom's more beautiful."

The casual way he handled the body parts was disturbing, as if he picked up dismembered corpses all of the time, and Edward felt Bella shiver beside him. Emmett and Alice were the ones to help Vincent gather up all of the pieces while the rest of them watched.

"So? How are you?" Bella asked, striking up a semblance of normal conversation.

"Oh, I'm fine," Izzy answered pleasantly.

"How's Maria?"

"She's fine too."

"What about… Zolan and… T'eir?" He heard her hesitation as she said the names.

"Zolan and T'eir went back home. They don't stay with us, but we can call them of we need them, and they pop in regularly to see how we're doing."

He was sure both of them were relieved that the Fire Demon and his strange Plant Weaver companion were no longer in Forks.

"We've been kinda keeping an eye out for you guys around town. I work at Forks Outfitters, but I've never seen you in there."

Izzy gave another shrug. "We keep close to home. How've you been? Eddie looks all healed up."

He bristled at being called 'Eddie,' but Izzy's sly look told him she'd done it just to tease him.

"Edward's doing great. We're getting married in three weeks."

Izzy raised her eyebrows, but he just beamed at her. Any reminder of his upcoming nuptials made him smile.

"It's in eighteen days, actually," he corrected.

"Well, congratulations are in order then."

"Thank you," he replied formally, taking Bella's hand in his.

"Okay, I'm ready," Vincent announced, making them all look at him.

"Go for it, kid," Izzy answered, then motioned for the rest of them to come towards her and put more distance between them and the boy.

Vincent was taking off his gloves and stretching his fingers.

"It might be better for you guys to be closer to me," Izzy suggested. "He hasn't set fire to any apartment buildings lately, but it can't hurt to be cautious."

Vincent snorted indignantly. "I was _three!_" he argued.

Izzy shrugged. "Your point?"

"Argh," the boy complained, but turned away from them.

Edward didn't know about the others, but he was sticking close to Izzy. He'd seen what Vincent could do, and if Izzy thought it was best for them to be closer to her, that was where he was going to be, especially because Bella was involved. His family followed his lead, and soon they were all clustered behind the human woman who didn't even come up to Emmett's shoulder.

They watched, not speaking – although their minds were whirring a mile a minute, the only 'blank' spots being Bella and Izzy – as Vincent circled the pile of vampire flesh, his face intent.

"Black Fire?" the boy asked, unsure.

"Black Fire," Izzy confirmed.

"One blast?"

"One blast."

Vincent bit his lip, looking concerned.

"How about two?" he requested.

"You can do it in one," Izzy answered confidently.

Vincent blinked at her. "You really think I can do it in one?"

Izzy nodded. "I know you can."

Her assurance seemed to give the child the confidence he needed, and he smiled and turned to his task. His face was a picture of intense concentration as he raised his arms and circled his hands.

Everything in the clearing got eerily still, like the hush before a lighting strike, and Edward felt the Power move. The boy moved in slow motion to his eyes, stepping lightly around his target, sizing up the best place to strike, then time sped up again as Vincent leaped, an inhuman snarl hissing from his bared teeth, and the Power came bursting from his small hands.

He knew right away why it was called _Black_ Fire. The ball was obscenely dark, with blazes of red flames licking only at the edges. It hit the pile of white flesh with such force that the forest shook from the impact, a deafening BOOM echoing off the mountains, louder than most thunderclaps. It was like a bomb had just been set off not ten yards away, and he had to grab onto Bella so she wouldn't lose her balance as the aftershocks made the earth tremble.

"Oh my God," he heard Esme breathe.

_'Getting stronger and stronger every day…'_ he heard Izzy think and somehow he knew she hadn't meant for him to hear. The thought was laced with pride, but also a terrible sadness.

Vincent landed on the edge of the crater he had just blown into the ground, head down, breathing heavily. He peered into the hole and smiled.

"I did it," he announced happily. "Izzy, I did it!"

"Never had any doubt you could, kid."

The boy hopped up, grabbing his gloves and putting them back on as he trotted over to them, grinning from ear to ear.

"Can I play Center Field?"

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Eight

The game was surreal, or at least more surreal than seven vampires playing baseball during a thunderstorm. None of them really knew what to do or think, and they studiously ignored the deep hole on the edge of Left Field.

Edward had ventured a peek into the crater, shuddering to see nothing but blackened earth with no hint of white, not even in dust, left. The sheer destruction the boy had managed to create with one blast was unnerving, and Edward began to understand Izzy's sadness. Among humans, Vincent would always be outcast – just like vampires.

"My dad," Vincent was saying, his voice full of pride. "He once took out an entire _army_ with Black Fire. Blew away thousands of 'em in one strike. It's like… super-powered demonic Napalm. I can't believe I'm getting the hang of it."

"Your father is a very powerful demon?" Edward heard Carlisle ask.

"My dad's the most powerful Fire Demon to ever live," Vincent all but crowed.

_'And you met this creature?'_ Carlisle asked him.

He nodded, knowing Carlisle could see him from across the field. There was a lot he could say about his first encounter with Zolan, but he held his tongue. Izzy was there, observing the game, and he did not know how good her hearing was…

_'Tell him anything he wants to know,' _he heard her say to him, interrupting his thoughts. _'Chances are you won't say anything that Zolan wouldn't tell you himself.'_

_'What? That he's a highly destructive demon who could annihilate us with a single strike?'_ he sneered.

_'For starters. But you could also tell him that Zolan isn't interested in killing vampires, especially ones that have sworn off humans. He's only interested in real and potential threats to Maria and his son, and, sorry, hate to burst your bubble of superiority, but you don't count.'_

Somehow knowing that he and his family didn't come under Zolan's scrutiny was anything but disappointing.

His attention was called back to the game when Jasper hit a low ball that streaked across Center Field. He was preparing to go after it when Vincent jumped, going straight up in the air about twenty feet, and caught it. Then the boy threw the ball with almost as much force as a vampire to Emmett, who tagged Alice out as she tried to run for Third Base. It marked the third out and the inning was over.

"When I'm at my dad's, one of the kids I play with is an octopatra demon," Vincent was telling him as they jogged in together. For some reason the boy had latched onto him, probably because he looked the youngest. He didn't mind because he gleaned so much from Vincent's ramblings. "He has _six_ arms! Two of them are tentacles with little suckers on the ends of them, and he can stretch them out more than _ten_ feet. He's the _awesomest_ catcher ever. Nothing gets by him. When we play soccer, he's always the Goalie."

What could he say to that? "Wow. Sounds like fun."

"It is! I hate playing with human kids. They're so slow and weak. I always have to watch what I'm doing and it's never any fun. This is great playing with you guys tonight. Thanks for letting me play."

"Um, anytime, Vincent. It's fun to play with you too." He found himself smiling because it was true, and he realized how lonely Vincent must be with no other children like him around to play with.

"Mom!" he heard Vincent cry happily, and looked up to see Maria standing next to Izzy and Bella. Bella looked overjoyed to see her.

_'Hmm, when did she get here?'_ he wondered.

_'About two minutes ago,'_ he heard Izzy answer.

"Did you see me catch the ball?" Vincent asked Maria as they all gathered around her by some unspoken agreement.

The thoughts of his family, so guarded and wary in regard to Izzy and the boy, were distinctly different for Maria. Esme's in particular were almost reverent. Of course, this was the one who had given them the Blood Vine, and she was deeply grateful.

Maria hugged her son, all maternal pride and love. "I did. You were amazing."

"Did Izzy tell you I threw Black Fire?"

"She did. She said that was amazing too. Your father will be very proud."

"Really? Do you think so?" Vincent questioned, hopeful.

"Oh yes. I know so," Maria assured him, smiling.

"Awesome! I can't wait to tell Braydak the next time I see him!"

Maria laughed. "Don't boast too much."

Vincent grinned and looked innocent. "Who me? I never brag."

"Of course not," the boy's mother agreed, winking.

Carlisle cleared his throat in a very human gesture and all eyes turned to him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, madam. I am Carlisle Cullen, and this is my family," he greeted, extending his hand.

There was no posturing or circling of predators in this meeting. Maria smiled openly and shook the offered hand.

"Maria Piazzi. And the pleasure is mine. Thank you for being so kind to my son."

"He is a delightful child."

Piazzi. Piazzi. Maria Piazzi. He'd heard the name before, just as he'd been certain he'd seen her before. But where? When? Piazzi… The name triggered a memory of music, of a hauntingly beautiful violin played by a set of too young hands.

"Piazzi! The violinist! You were the all time National Junior Violinist Champion in 1991," he blurted.

How could he have ever forgotten her stunningly magnificent performance? Even for a human, she had been incredibly talented. She had been a rising star in the world of classical music, but then she had just disappeared. What had happened?

He looked at mother and son, and he knew what had happened. She had joined with a demon and borne him a son.

"You remember me," was all she said, her voice sad.

"How could I forget? I heard you play in New York after your win. You played Paganini like you had been doing it all your life. You had the entire audience enthralled, including me."

Izzy snorted. "Paganini. God, I hate his stuff. You don't play Paganini because it's nice to listen to, you play Paganini to prove how _good_ you are."

Maria tossed her curls over her shoulder and preened.

"Mom still plays. She plays for me every night. She's teaching me, and sometimes we play together," Vincent informed.

"Oh, I would love to hear you play again." He was gushing and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. Even now he was hearing the strings, the flowing music from the violin as it washed over him…

"Tomorrow, perhaps?" Carlisle offered. "We would like to invite you to our home."

"Oh, yes, please. Do come. We owe you so much for your gift," Esme added.

Maria blushed. "It was nothing…"

"It has changed our lives completely. I cannot even begin to tell you…"

"What my wife is trying to say is, we would be deeply honored if you would accept our invitation," Carlisle interrupted.

Maria smiled and cast a questioning glance to Izzy who gave her a short nod. "I don't see how I could possibly refuse such an earnest offer. Thank you. We would be glad to come."

"Excellent! We are so pleased," Esme enthused, smiling happily.

"But don't let me stop you from playing your game. I only came to watch Vincent play baseball," the woman said, waving a hand towards the empty field.

Alice looked up at the cloudy sky. So far the rain had stayed away, but that appeared to be about to change.

"We have about a half hour before the rain gets here. That's enough to finish an inning or two," his sister announced.

"Well then, let's play some ball," Emmett answered.

They laughed and broke into their teams. Since his team was at bat, Edward stayed close to Bella and the two women, nonchalantly listening with one ear while he paid attention to the game with the other.

"He blew a hole six feet deep," he heard Izzy say.

"I'll take care of it," was Maria's reply. "How are you? Were the vampires any trouble?"

Izzy snorted. "Pffft. Please. They were lucky if they were Level 2. I blew them to bits before they even knew what hit them. Went a bit overboard actually, used a lot more energy than I needed to. I've been fighting higher level demons for so long, it's hard to use restraint."

"Well, I'm glad they were easy." The voice was closer to the crater now, and a peek over towards her showed her tossing something into the hole.

"Pissed Sparky off though."

"I understand why you did what you did. How are _you_ feeling?"

"I'm fine." The answer was clipped and too quick.

"Your eyes are darker than they should be. You really need to rest," Maria said, concern and worry in her voice.

"I'll rest in four months."

"That's too long and you know it. You have to take them off."

Another peek showed the hole filling in with some sort of twisted, woody bush that soon encompassed the entire crater.

"You know I can't."

He frowned, squirreling away the information for later.

"But it's been two months since you've cleansed," Maria argued. He heard the edge of pleading in her words.

"Doesn't matter. Just the way it is. Until Zolan is done with the War Council, I'm on double alert."

"I wish it didn't have to be that way." Maria's voice was sad and resigned.

"And I wish for world peace. Doesn't change reality. We work with what we have, not what we wish we had."

"Still. I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologizing. I made my choices. I have no regrets. You should stop beating yourself up over things you had no control over."

There was a rustling and Edward smelled a new floral scent. He spared another glance from the game to see Maria plucking something from the center of a large, orange flower.

"Here. Eat these. They'll purge some of the toxins out of your blood."

He heard Izzy take whatever Maria was giving her and eat it, making a choking noise.

"Damn, why does stuff like this always taste like crap?" she complained.

"You know what they say, the worse it tastes, the better it is for you."

"Hmph."

"Oh, what a lovely flower," Bella's voice interrupted.

A quick look in their direction revealed that his fiancée had joined the women and was now admiring the large blossom.

"It's a Night Blooming Acaia Flower," Maria said. "Their seeds are highly nutritious and very good for you."

"It's beautiful and it smells very nice."

"Thank you. Do you come to watch the Cullens play baseball often?"

"Sometimes. I'm no good at sports when I play with humans. I'm doubly useless here."

He frowned. He hated it when she put herself down. Didn't she know that her presence was enough to make his un-beating heart sing?

"Oh, I wouldn't put yourself down so much. Edward is happy that you are here."

"I know, and I'm happy to be wherever he is; even if I'm more in the way than anything else."

"I doubt Edward sees you as a hindrance. I'm sure he's overjoyed to have his own cheering section."

"Go Team Edward," Bella cheered weakly.

_'She has no idea what it means to be loved by a demon…' _

Maria's voice, whether he was meant to hear or only heard because it leaked out, he didn't know, but the truth behind the words rang true. Bella really didn't have any idea what it was like for him to love her. She was under the delusion that he was marrying below his station, and he couldn't convince her that _she_ was the one making the poor choice. She had no concept of the depth and breadth of his love for her, how it filled every cell in his body, how it gave him meaning, purpose. She was literally _everything_ to him, and he would do anything for her.

_'Even kill her,'_ he thought darkly, sadness at having to uphold his end of the bargain coloring his thoughts. He desperately wished she'd renegotiate, give him more time with her as a human before he turned her into a monster, but she wouldn't budge. They'd have a month, probably less, since she was adamant that she would not reach the mortal age of nineteen as a human being, and no matter how many times he told her not to worry about the Volturi, she would not believe him when he said he would protect her.

"Aww, c'mon!" he heard Vincent complain, making him focus on the game again. "Don't go easy on me! Pitch the damn ball!"

He looked over to see Vincent at bat and Esme on the pitching mound. Obviously, the boy thought Esme was slowing down her pitches to allow for him being half-human, but Vincent was having none of it.

Edward probed her thoughts and read her reluctance. Vincent was so small, so fragile-looking. Esme was afraid to pitch at full power for fear that she would hurt him.

_'Tell her to throw a fastball,'_ Izzy said.

"Esme," he whispered, knowing his mother could hear him. "Don't be afraid. Throw a Lucky Six," he told her, using the code word for a fastball.

He saw Esme nod once, then wind up for the pitch, throwing the ordered fastball.

"Now that's more like it!" Vincent yelled and swung the bat, connecting squarely with the ball.

The loud crack echoed off the mountains, and the cheering section cheered as Vincent sped around the bases almost as fast as a vampire could.

_'Fast little bugger, isn't he?'_ he heard Izzy say. _'He can Jump too, but that'd be cheating.'_

_'Hey, in this game pretty much anything goes,'_ he replied.

_'Oh, you don't want me to tell him that,'_ came the amused response.

He snickered and cheered Vincent to his first homerun.

The clouds opened up ten minutes after that, and the game was called to a halt on the account of lighting being too close. It wouldn't hurt him, of course, but he was concerned for Bella's sake.

"So? We'll see you tomorrow?" Bella asked Maria as they took temporary shelter under the trees.

"Yes. What time would you like us to arrive?" Maria answered.

"Anytime is fine," Esme replied.

"Early afternoon then?" the woman offered.

"That would be fine. Edward can tell you how to get to our house."

"I'll let Izzy handle that."

He locked eyes with Izzy and imparted the directions within seconds.

"Got it," Izzy said, nodding and placing her arms around Maria and Vincent. "See you tomorrow. We'll bring pizza."

"That's not nece…" he started, but they'd already Jumped home.

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: Again, AU. I give you chapter nine, in which Alice explores her culinary talents, Izzy gives them a lesson in Vampire demonology and some questions start to get answered.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Nine

The house, normally spotless, was extraordinarily clean and smelled of flowers from numerous bouquets Esme had purchased to add color and fragrance to the first floor. He'd taken time to make certain his piano was in perfect tune in anticipation of perhaps playing some accompanying music with Maria, and he gave it a final polish before going to pick up Bella. His lovely bride-to-be was waiting for him as usual, dressed in her khaki skirt and a blue blouse that he loved on her.

He kissed her, told her how lovely she looked, and escorted her to the Volvo, leaving the Guardian in the driveway. She had yet to figure out the significance of the car he'd loaned her to drive in the last few weeks before their wedding, but he was certain to hear about it when she did.

Esme was just serving up a pot of Blood Vine when they arrived home, and he drank two glasses spiced with lime juice just to take the edge off his hunger. He found that he was more than satisfied drinking four or five glasses a day, spread out in two or three smaller meals. Emmett drank considerably more, but his appetite had always been greater than anyone else's in the family, and Rosalie was cranky until she'd had her cocoa-spiked glass in the morning.

Carlisle was exploring the effectiveness of drugs in the Blood Vine, while Alice and Jasper were having far too much fun experimenting with different flavor combinations. Jasper, being a Southerner, had a fondness for heat, and he was trying to find the right mixture of pepper and hot sauce to give his meal kick. Alice was going for sheer outrageousness; the weirdest so far had been pineapple and sardines, cooked with the pods and strained out during the filtering process because nothing solid could be left in the juice or it would have to be purged later. Even Rosalie was forced to leave the congealed remains of her chocolates at the bottom of the glass.

He was happy sticking to his lemon and lime flavorings, although Emmett was keen on sneaking vodka into it to "make it a real Bloody Mary." So far, Alice had been able to See whenever Emmett was going to try to spike his drink, and he'd been able to thwart him. He had no idea what the effect of alcohol would have on him, and he didn't want to find out.

"Thanks, Mom," he said, placing the empty glass in the sink.

Esme smiled and rinsed the glass to put it in the dishwasher as Alice came bouncing in, all smiles, carrying a bag full of groceries.

"I'm back. And they'll be here in ten minutes," his sister announced.

"How do you know? I thought you couldn't See them."

She shrugged. "I normally can't, but I got a vision on the way back from the store. They must have left that shield or whatever it is that blocks my sight. Anyway, I bought some snacks and crackers and stuff. Things I know you like, Bella."

He watched his fiancée's face as she examined the boxes of crackers and the vegetable tray Alice had placed on the counter, then he saw her pick up a small can of something, an odd expression on her face.

"Alice, is this Spam?"

Alice plucked the container from Bella's fingers. "That's mine. It's my next experiment. Spam and anchovies."

"EWW!" Bella gasped, horrified.

The idea made even _him_shudder.

"Alice, stop trying to gross out your brothers," Esme chided.

"But it's so much fun! I almost made Emmett gag with the liverwurst and Gorgonzola. I didn't know vampires could get nauseous."

"Alice, you truly are a terrifying monster," he commented, shaking his head.

His sister just beamed, then her eyes went out of focus. "They're here."

"I thought you said ten minutes," Esme replied.

Alice shrugged. "You know my gift isn't perfect."

"We'd best go greet them," he said, offering his hand to his fiancée. She took it, smiling warmly at him, and allowed him to lead her from the kitchen. Esme and Alice followed them, and soon they were all standing on the porch, waiting until they saw Vincent's bobbing head coming up the driveway.

_'Hmm, they're on foot…'_

_'I don't like the car,'_ came Izzy's reply. _'Jumping's faster anyway.'_

A moment later, Izzy and Maria came into view, following behind Vincent. His dead heart thrilled when he saw Maria was carrying a violin case.

_'What? You thought she was going to leave it at home after you practically declared yourself her biggest fan yesterday?'_

He snorted, but didn't refute her.

They were dressed casually in jeans and long-sleeved cotton shirts. Maria was wearing a midnight blue top that showed off her shoulders, and her black curls were held back with a matching scarf folded into a headband. Vincent was dressed all in black: black jeans, black sleeveless shirt, black elbow-length, fingerless gloves.

_'Hmm, takes after his father…'_

_'You have no idea,'_ Izzy said, amusement lacing through her thoughts.

Carlisle stepped off the porch and moved to greet them as they approached. "Welcome to our home."

"Thank you," Maria answered.

"I don't believe we ever formally introduced ourselves. This is my wife, Esme," Carlisle said.

Esme reached out to shake Maria's hand. "Hello again, Maria."

"Hello."

"And my daughter, Rosalie, and her husband, Emmett."

His sister and brother nodded their heads, but both were focused on Vincent. Rosalie was watching the boy with an intense look on her face, and her thoughts were laced with longing.

"My daughter, Alice, and her husband, Jasper."

Alice danced forward to hug Maria happily. "Thank you, thank you, for the Blood Vine."

"And you've already met my son, Edward, and his fiancée, Isabella."

Maria gave Izzy a knowing look. "Isabella, eh, Izzy?"

Izzy scowled. "Not a word."

Maria ignored her. "Izzy's full name is Isabelle."

Carlisle chuckled. "So we have the French and the Italian here with us today."

"And neither of us care to be called by our full names. Izzy's fine with me," Izzy said.

"I brought my hacky-sacks," Vincent announced, holding up three small, cloth balls. "I thought maybe someone would like to play with me."

"I'll play," Rosalie answered, making Edward do a double take. Then he remembered how much Rosalie had wanted children of her own.

_'He has black curls…'_ he heard Rosalie remember wistfully, and he understood.

Vincent was overjoyed to have a playmate, and soon he was kicking around the small balls with Emmett and Rosalie on the lawn. Rosalie looked surprisingly happy, and Edward felt a twinge of regret for treating her so coldly over the years.

"Shall we go inside?" Esme asked, nodding towards the front door.

"We'd be honored," Maria answered, moving forward.

"I thought you said you were bringing pizza," he teased as they stepped up onto the porch.

Izzy wiggled her eyebrows. "Why? You craving pepperoni and mozzarella?"

"Not lately," he answered.

She laughed and they entered the house.

"Oh, what a magnificent piano," Maria blurted, noticing his instrument on its platform.

"It's Edward's. He plays beautifully," Bella told her, and he caught the open pride in her voice.

He gave Maria a shy look. "I was hoping, perhaps later, we could play…"

She smiled, understanding, but didn't answer right away. Instead she cast a tortured look towards Izzy. He whipped his head around to see the other woman's expression, but whatever she had thought about his offer was masked behind a too-neutral face.

"That would be very nice," Maria finally replied, going to place the violin case on the piano bench. "But I have some other things first…"

She pulled a strap from her shoulder, taking down a canvas bag she had been carrying.

"I brought more Blood Vine; a couple of different varieties…"

He raised an eyebrow.

_'What? There's more than one kind of tomato, isn't there?'_ came Izzy's amused thoughts.

Maria pulled several different Blood Vine nectar pods from the bag. Each of them was crescent-shaped like the pods on the vine out by the garage, but some were smaller than those pods and a few were streaked with color: red, purple and yellow.

"This one has smaller pods, but it's very prolific," Maria said, handing Esme the pods. "These are designed to taste like individual blood groups, O, A and B. The one with the yellow stripes supposedly tastes like AB-negative, the rarest blood type in the world." She pulled out one that was nearly half the size of the others, laced with pink veins and gave it to Esme. "This one is rare, but it's renowned for its sweetness."

Esme's eyes were alight with eagerness as she accepted the pods. "Ooh, wonderful. Should we plant them right away?"

"If you'll show me where you have your garden, I can germinate the vines for you," Maria offered.

"It's out by the garage. Come with me."

He watched as Maria followed his mother out of the house. Carlisle went with them, leaving him with Izzy, Bella, Alice and Jasper. He was surprised when Izzy didn't follow, but instead was gazing at the piano, a strange look in her dark eyes.

"Is it a Steinway?" she asked.

"No. A Fazioli. It's Italian-made."

She nodded, taking a step up to the platform and brushing her hand lightly across the polished surface.

"I've heard of these. Is it really as good as they say it is?"

He joined her on the platform. "Better. The sound is unparalleled. Do you play?" he asked, but it was a moot question judging by the wistful look on her face.

Izzy frowned. "Not anymore."

The answer was final and he knew he wouldn't get any more information out of her.

"Just wait until you hear Edward play. He writes his own music. It's amazing. You should play Esme's theme for her, Edward," Bella said, gushing as she usually did about his musical talents.

Izzy nodded and gave him a sad smile. "That's good."

There was something, something he wanted to probe her thoughts for, something dark and painful, like she'd had something and then been denied. But her mind was blocked to him, guarded like the secrets he knew she was keeping: secrets his family needed to know. He set his hip against the piano and casually looked at his fingernails.

"So? Any giant reptiles trying to kill you lately?" he questioned lightly. The subject was anything but light, but he tried to make a joke out of it.

"Nope. Zolan killed the bastard who hired them. Things have been quiet ever since." He could tell that she was telling the truth, and he was glad.

"Does Zolan do that often?" Alice asked.

Izzy shrugged. Edward noticed that she did that a lot. "Often enough. As often as necessary to get his point across. It works for a while, then some idiot decides to try again, and he has to send a few reminders."

"How long have you lived in Forks?" Bella questioned.

"About two weeks."

"How long do you plan on staying?" Jasper pressed.

"That's undetermined. It depends." Her voice was guarded now, wary.

"Depends on what?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes in irritation. "On a lot of different things."

"Where did you live before?" Bella inquired.

"We moved here from upstate New York. We had a house in the Finger Lakes region."

"Why did you move here?" Jasper asked. Edward smiled. His newest brother was good at asking the hard questions.

Izzy gave Jasper a cautious look. "We had our reasons."

"I am sure you can understand our concern," Jasper continued. "It's not often a human knows the truth about us and lives."

Izzy turned her eyes to Bella, then back to Jasper, expectant.

"Bella, of course, is an exception. But you seem to know a great deal more about us than we do about you."

"You've lived sheltered lives," Izzy replied. "That's the problem with insular species like yours. You have no idea what's really going on out there in the world because you're too busy hiding in it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, miffed.

Izzy snorted and looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Okay, answer me this: Do you know there's more than one kind of vampire?"

"There is?" Bella blurted.

Izzy waited for his response. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and answer, "No."

The woman turned her eyes to Alice and Jasper. "Either of you know there's more than one species of vampire?"

Both shook their heads.

"Well, there are," Izzy informed them. "There's at least seven species, each with its own powers and weaknesses. You're the venomous species. You don't have fangs, yet you almost always kill your victims. You don't sleep, not even in daytime, and the sun doesn't harm you. You're very different from, say, a Jossian Vampire. They can eat and drink food other than blood. Sunlight burns them, but they can go out in daylight with proper cover. Their features morph into a demonic face when they're angry or hunting, and they can be killed with a stake to the heart. Amelian Vampires are unconscious during daylight hours. They have fangs _and_ beating hearts. They are deadly but mercurial. They are the most unpredictable of the vampire species. Tanyian Vampires are the least dangerous. They are the most human of the vampires. They almost never kill their victims unless they're threatened or newly turned. They're also the only species that ages, granted though, they age very, very slowly. There's at least three others, one of which is the Revenant, the worst of the worst because they have no minds. Every other species of vampire will kill a Revenant without remorse."

He shook his head. "How do you know all of this?"

"I told you; I'm a walking demonic encyclopedia."

"Yes, you explained that you needed to know what you were up against so you would know how to kill it," he commented, remembering what she had told him in the kitchen on the day he'd been bitten. "But why would you need to know all of that?"

"Because of me," Maria's voice interrupted.

All eyes turned to see her standing in the doorway with Esme and Carlisle behind her. Izzy shook her head and took a step forward.

"Mia, you don't…"

Maria cut her off. "Yes, we do. We need to be honest with them. If we're going to be using their territory as a buffer zone, they have a right to know what's going on."

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Ten

They had retired to the living room: he, Bella, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Maria and Izzy, taking up seats on the plush couches and chairs. Vincent was still outside playing with Rosalie and Emmett, but if he concentrated his hearing, he could catch the boy's laughter, and his tap on Rosalie's thoughts told him everything was fine.

Alice had brought out the snacks and vegetable tray, and Maria had wowed them with her plant growing talents by augmenting the carrots, celery and broccoli with vibrant green and red peppers and little cherry tomatoes that Bella couldn't seem to get enough of. She'd also added new flowers to the floral arrangements, blossoms spilling from her hands like raindrops.

Esme was completely in her thrall. Edward had no doubts that Maria could tell her they had come to steal their bodies and use them to incubate demonic plants, and Esme would gladly volunteer to be first – well, perhaps that was an exaggeration, but the sentiment was there.

But what Maria and Izzy had to tell them wasn't anything like that. It was tragic in its own way because it involved a little boy who would never belong in his mother's world, and who would have to grow up much too fast.

"You have seen what my son can do? Edward has told you what he is?" Maria began.

He remained quiet, allowing Carlisle to speak. In this his father was the leader of the coven, and he willingly demurred to his authority.

"We witnessed his… abilities in the field, yes, but we are eager to hear more about him."

Edward smiled inwardly. Everything he knew about negotiation and diplomacy, he'd learned from Carlisle.

"Vincent's father is Zolan. He is a Fire Demon."

_'The most powerful Fire Demon to ever live,'_ he recalled.

_'Well… there's some contention about that. There's no doubt that he's very strong, but the most powerful to ever live… that's a stretch,'_ Izzy's amused thoughts told him.

_'Vincent seems to think so.'_

_'Vincent worships his father. I don't. But you're right. He's a badass, and he's a lot stronger than anyone in this room.'_

He wouldn't argue the point.

"Vincent inherited his father's… talents. It's very important that he learn to master his gifts before he becomes too dangerous. We moved here to the Pacific Northwest because it is very wet and less prone to catching fire. We chose Forks because the location was… preferable."

_'Preferable?'_ he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"It's my job to see to it that Vincent and Maria stay alive. When we were planning this move I chose a… strategically advantageous location," Izzy explained.

"Strategically advantageous?" Carlisle repeated.

"We have the Quileute Werewolf pack to our west and your coven to the north. Ninety-nine percent of anything that would come after us won't want to cross your lands. That cuts off two avenues of approach. If I could put the Creature From the Black Lagoon to our south, I'd be happier than a pig in mud."

"Anything that comes after you?" Esme interrupted.

"The Creature From the Black Lagoon is _**real?**_" Bella blurted, wide-eyed.

"Who? Barry? We love Barry. Barry is awesome. You just can't invite him over for tea. You'll never get the slime out of your carpets. Shame though, he's a nice guy," Izzy replied grinning wickedly.

He snickered at Bella's stunned expression. Even funnier was that Izzy was telling the truth.

"You're joking. You're trying to pull a fast one on the naïve human," his fiancée complained.

Izzy snagged a carrot, dipped it in the ranch sauce on the tray, and popped it in her mouth. "Nope. Barry's a bi-pedal terrestrial cephalopod. They're amphibious. Tend to prefer swamps and marshes. Mostly harmless, but they can get pretty territorial if you trespass too close to their dens."

Bella looked at him, pleading for the truth. "Edward?"

He smiled and shrugged. "She isn't lying."

"No, she's not," Jasper confirmed, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "But you didn't answer the question. Why are things coming after you? Edward said the big lizard was a demon assassin sent to kill you."

"The Komodo Demons. Yes. They're demonic hitmen. They always travel in packs of three. We'd already killed two of them when the third attacked Edward," Maria answered.

"Does that happen often?" Carlisle asked.

"Often enough. You see… Zolan is very powerful, but he is also Outcast. He has a lot of enemies who would love to get to him through Vincent or me," Maria explained.

"Why is he Outcast?" Esme questioned.

"To understand that, you'd have to understand Fire Demon society…"

"Zolan killed his father. That's a Fire Demon No-No," Izzy summed up.

"He killed his father? Why?" Esme stammered.

"Because his father murdered his mother right in front of him. See… there are no female Fire Demons. Fire Demons reproduce by finding a suitable female and… forcing themselves on her. Now usually the female dies in childbirth, at which point the Fire Demon takes the infant and raises it as his son. That's the way it's always worked." She paused and he could tell that she was trying to decide what to say and how to say it.

"But Zolan's mother was a Naiad, a water nymph. She was able to break her connection to her river and flee Zolan's father. She ran away to the frozen north and immersed herself in the freezing water. Zolan's heat kept her alive, but she stayed cool enough to survive his birth. She's the only one who ever had. I have a theory about that, but I won't get into it right now. Obviously, Maria survived Vincent's birth, and that's part of why I feel the way I do.

"Anyway, Uma raised Zolan until he was six. Then Zolan's father found them. He killed Uma, but when he tried to take his son, Zolan blasted him with Black Fire. He's been hunted and Outcast ever since."

"But he was just a baby who had just witnessed his mother's murder!" Esme gasped. "How could anyone hold that against him?"

Izzy shook her head. "The demon world is harsh and merciless. Zolan learned those lessons early on. He's spent his life fighting, getting stronger, making himself a hard target. He's risen in the ranks of the demon world to the status he has now by killing all his enemies. He's too powerful for most rivals to even consider going after, but when they find out he has a weakness…"

"They come after his wife and son," Carlisle finished.

Maria shook her head. "Zolan and I, we're not… together. It's… complicated. But you're right. They come after Vincent and me."

"But now it's getting worse. Vincent is getting stronger. Once he reaches puberty, we can expect him to start realizing his full potential. It wasn't so bad when he was little, but now Zolan's enemies are like 'Whoa, wait a minute. This kid's getting strong. What if we have another Zolan on our hands? We gotta get rid of him while we still can.' So the attacks have stepped up a notch. Plus, Zolan's involved in this War Council so he'll be distracted for the next few months. Lots of nasties have decided now's the time to strike while Zolan's attention is divided," Izzy added.

"So you moved your family here, to what you considered a strategically advantageous position," Carlisle stated.

"Exactly. Sparky can train here without worrying too much about burning the forest down, it's remote, and it has two pretty powerful guardians on two sides. If you were me, you'd have moved here too," Izzy countered.

"So, can we expect any more incidents like the one we had ten days ago, where Edward was almost killed?" Jasper questioned shrewdly.

"I'm sorry about that. I had debated coming to introduce myself. I usually pay visits to the local non-humans everywhere we live just to let people know we don't want any trouble, but we got busy and frankly, we weren't expecting to be attacked so soon."

"Which is why you were attacked. To take advantage of your disorganization from the move," Jasper pointed-out.

"Probably. The truth is, I don't think we'll have a repeat of what happened. Like I said, anything coming after us isn't going to want to attract the attention of either you guys or the werewolves over on the reservation, so they won't cross your lands."

"But they'll be coming here. Coming to Forks," Bella said, worried. He knew right away she was having nightmares of demons storming the town.

"They won't go after you or any other humans. That's all part of the collateral damage thing, and there's rules in place to safeguard against things like that. The only reason the Komodo Demon bit Edward was because Edward fought. If he'd grabbed you and run, no one would have gotten hurt." She looked at him and held his gaze. "So the next time you see one of them, grab your girl and scram, ok? You leave the demon hunting to me. It's what I do."

He didn't miss the flash of pain on Maria's face at those words, the tortured look that marred her features. It was the same look Bella had whenever she knew someone was risking his life to keep her safe.

"As long as they are no threat to us, or on our lands, we will comply," Carlisle promised. "We don't want any trouble either."

"We'll do our best to keep the mayhem to a minimum, and we'll warn you when something's coming, if we can," Izzy vowed.

The conversation went from there as Carlisle began to negotiate an agreement for how to handle any threats coming through. Edward only paid half attention because there was another heartbeat in the house now, and Jasper was giving him the eye.

_'It's the boy and he's… upset,'_ his empathic brother informed.

He nodded imperceptibly, and spoke too low for humans to hear. "I'll go. He knows me better."

He stood. "Please excuse me."

"Edward?" Bella asked, starting to stand. He stopped her.

"You stay here, Bella, I'll be back shortly."

She looked unhappy, but obeyed and he quietly left the sitting area. He found Vincent seated near the top of the grand staircase, alone and forlorn. A quick mental sweep of the grounds revealed Emmett and Rosalie in the garage, working on Rose's BMW. Apparently, the game of hacky-sack had ended and Vincent had come inside… just in time to hear them talking about him.

He didn't speak as he climbed the stairs slowly, letting the boy see him coming. Vincent flicked his red eyes at him, then returned to bouncing the cloth ball between his palms. Silently, he settled down next to the child on the step and waited. He didn't have to wait long.

"I don't mind, really," the boy said softly. "I'll be okay. It's my mom I'm worried about. They come after her too."

He gave a soft grunt that he was listening.

"I know it hurts her. It hurts her that Izzy has to fight. They've been best friends forever. Since way before I was born. Izzy's given up everything to make sure Mom and me stay alive."

He was sure that was true and he wished the child's mind wasn't shielded. There was so much more to that, so much that was being hidden. He only had the smallest of pieces: sacrifices made, toxins in the blood, length of time spent between cleansings, things that had to be removed… Part of him was curious, but another part suspected that he really didn't want to know. There was pain there, deep and old and buried in a shallow grave.

"You said something about visiting your father…" he prompted.

"Yeah, normally I'd spend summers with him, but with this War Council going on, he doesn't have time for me. Plus it's better if Mom and I are together. Y'know, so he doesn't have to fight a war on two fronts."

"Why doesn't your whole family go there?" he asked.

Vincent sighed. "We tried that for a while. It was… too hard. And in a lot of ways it was worse because most of the demons around us didn't want us there, even if they were forbidden from hurting us because they were allied with my dad. And it's hard for my dad to be… near my mom."

He nodded. In a way, he understood. It was hard to be near Bella, but harder to be away from her. Maybe being away was easier for Zolan.

"So that's why I gotta get strong," Vincent said, staring at his palms. "I gotta be able to protect her so Izzy won't have to anymore."

"I think your mom does a fair job of protecting herself, doesn't she? I saw her fight that Komodo Demon. She was the one who killed it," he reminded gently.

Vincent fluffed a bit with pride. "She's good with the Razor Whip, isn't she. You should see her germinate Lion Flowers. She can almost control them. She's the best student T'eir's ever had, and he's not afraid to say so."

He smiled. He liked Vincent, and perhaps understood him a little better than he ought to.

"But she's even better with Shields. Mom's Eighth Level shields are almost unbreakable. That's the kind she has around the house."

_'The one that blocks Alice's visions…'_

_'Blocks everything,'_ Izzy interrupted.

_'I thought you said it was rude to eavesdrop on people's thoughts,_' he complained.

_'Where Sparky is involved, there are no rules. How is he?'_

_'He's okay.'_

_'We're just about done here, if you wanna bring him down.'_

He didn't think Vincent was ready so he stalled. _'In a few minutes.'_

Izzy seemed to understand. _'Okay.'_

"You always take the gloves off before you cast your fireballs. Do they have some dampening ability on your powers?" he asked, curious because Vincent was picking at the edge of one.

"No. They just help to remind me," the boy replied, taking off the gloves to show him two Chinese copper coins, one in each palm, pressed into the hollows of his hands. "If I start to lose it, the coins will get hot and that tells me I need to calm down. It doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to, but I think they're cool so I wear them. And it helps to be careful. I can be… dangerous when I get mad."

"Like setting apartment buildings on fire?" he teased, smiling softly.

His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat when Vincent's face grew sad. "Yeah. Like that. And I used to burn my mom… _a lot_. T'eir gave her the Xialoe plant for the burns, but she still has a scar on her arm that I gave her. My temper tantrums were bad when I was little."

He frowned. He hated hurting Esme and felt guilty any time he had wounded her with his words or actions. He couldn't imagine being _physically_ dangerous to her. He placed a gentle hand on Vincent's shoulder.

"But I'm sure you don't do that anymore. You're much bigger and stronger now."

Vincent nodded, slipping his gloves back on. "Yeah."

The boy fell silent, his face drawn into a deep frown and Edward was at a loss for how to comfort him.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Eleven

"I never said how sorry I was that you got bit," Vincent apologized suddenly.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but I still feel bad. If I'd have hit that damn lizard when I threw the Black Fire, it never would have gotten out of the woods. But I missed, and then I didn't have enough strength to throw anything more than little Reds."

"You shouldn't feel bad, Vincent. You did everything you could. I don't blame you for my getting hurt. You shouldn't blame yourself," he earnestly told the boy.

Vincent clenched his hands. "I promise, I won't miss again."

He wanted to tell the child that such a promise was impossible, and that he'd never be able to keep it. He ought to know because he had made numerous promises to Bella that he had ended up crushing under the heel of his own stupidity, but he realized that wasn't what Vincent needed to hear.

"I am sure that you will do your best every time."

Vincent nodded and for a moment he looked just like Zolan in the firm set of his jaw and the seriousness of his face.

"Yeah. Exactly." Vincent looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Edward. You're really cool."

He smirked. "Well, I _am_ a vampire. I don't have any body heat."

The boy giggled and elbowed him in the side. He was surprised to actually feel it.

"Vincent?" Maria's voice called.

"Yeah, Mom? I'm up here with Edward."

Maria appeared at the foot of the stairs, her face concerned.

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine. Vincent was showing me the coins on his palms."

"Oh. Well, if you're ready, I was going to take out my violin…"

He was at the bottom of the stairs before she could finish the sentence.

"Of course. Anytime."

Vincent's laughter preceded him as he bounded down the steps. He watched, smiling, as the boy hugged his mother around her waist and she ruffled his black hair.

"Are you eager for me to play?" she asked.

Vincent beamed up at her. "Always."

She laughed.

"Please, this way," he said, ushering her towards the piano and her waiting violin.

He hurried to get a chair for her as she picked up the case and opened the top to pull out a well-loved, well-kept violin.

"Here. Please sit," he told her, placing the chair at an angle to the piano bench, in an acoustically beneficial position.

She nodded and folded herself into the chair as she examined the instrument and checked the tune.

"That's Rosamun. Mom says every good violin has a name," Vincent told him as they watched Maria adjust the string tension and rosin her bow.

"That's true," he agreed.

"Rosamun belonged to Mom's grandfather, who got it from his father, who got it from his father. She's been in the family for five generations."

"She must be very old."

"No one really knows. Mom won't give her to anyone to find out."

"I don't blame her."

"Alright, she's ready," Maria announced and he quickly took his seat at the piano.

The members of his family now gathered near the platform, and he beckoned for Bella to come up to sit beside him. Izzy and Vincent sat side by side on the carpet, waiting.

"Are you sure I won't be in the way?" his fiancée asked.

He grinned at her and kissed her hand. "Never."

"What shall we begin with?" Maria questioned, looking at him.

_'Let her play a piece all by herself first,'_ Izzy suggested.

"I was going to suggest Chopin or Debussy, but perhaps we should start with a solo," he offered.

"Yes. You were also going to play something you had written. Why don't you play for me first, and then I'll play for you?" Maria reminded.

"Play Esme's theme, Edward," Bella prompted.

"If you insist…" he hedged.

"We do. Play, Edward," Esme assured him.

He didn't have to be told twice, and he immediately began playing the piece he had written for his mother, his fingers floating across the keys in the familiar patterns. The music was effortless, flowing through his hands and mind like soothing water until he segued into Bella's Lullaby, allowing the soft melody to fill the house. He had the entire small audience held captive until the last notes of his composition faded, and he turned his face to Maria to see her reaction.

"That was beautiful," she praised, clapping. "You have such a light and well-learned touch. You're very talented."

_'Not bad. Not bad at all,'_ Izzy added.

He looked away, embarrassed. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you. Now it's your turn."

"Play Paganini _Cantabile_," Izzy heckled, laughing.

"That one is for later," Maria countered, sticking out her tongue. "I think I'll start with _Romance in F Minor_."

"Ah, Dvorak," he sighed. He knew the piece well.

She nodded and lifted Rosamun to her chin. He held his breath and she began to play.

There were no words to describe what happened when the music touched his ears. Everything stopped. Time. Space. The Earth spinning on its axis. All of it came to a complete halt because she was playing. Nothing existed except the music. His entire world condensed into a single point of light centered around Rosamun's four strings.

The music vibrated every cell in his body, seized hold of every emotion or thought, and held it, trapped in timeless wonder. It filled his entire being, seeking out all the dark places and opening them up to the light, breathing fresh air into spaces too long closed and stagnant. And everything he had ever done, every hurt he had ever suffered himself or inflicted upon another was washed away like silk dye in a stream.

_'And now you bear witness to Maria's greatest Gift,'_ Izzy's voice whispered in his mind, wistful and sad at the same time. _'Some people can heal bodies. Others heal minds. A select few can heal hearts. But Maria can heal __**souls**__. She's the rarest healer there is, and she does it all unconsciously.'_

_'But I don't have a soul…'_ he replied, bliss from the music making him lightheaded.

_'Says who?'_

_'Says me. I'm a vampire, a demon who murdered people. My soul was forfeit when Carlisle changed me.'_

_'That's odd. Do you have consciousness?_'

_'Yes.'_

_'And do you feel pain and love?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'And was I or was I not able to manipulate your chi energy on the day you were bitten so you wouldn't eat your girlfriend?'_

_'You were.'_

_'Then you have a soul.'_

He couldn't argue because the music was rising, taking him with it, sending him soaring into a Heaven of peaceful solace. He was held like a babe in his mother's arms, like the touch of a beloved, comforting and welcome. Dimly he was aware that the rest of his family was similarly effected, that Carlisle and Esme were embracing, that Alice and Jasper were staring in wide-eyed wonder, that Emmett had brought in a staggering Rosalie, that his sister was collapsed on the carpet near the dais, curled on her side and sobbing, but he saw it only in the abstract.

_'This is the gift that made a 900 year-old demon who had earned his place by slaughtering everything in his path, risk everything for a chance to be something other than a killer,' _he heard Izzy say, and he suddenly knew how Zolan must have felt the first time he'd heard Maria play: surprised, awed and deeply moved.

As the last notes of the solo faded, so did the feeling of perfect peace, but the music still echoed inside his mind. He felt his soul (if that was indeed what it was) settle down, returning him to earth, not harshly or abruptly, but gently floating back into his body until he was once again aware of the bench beneath him, and the piano, and the living room, and his family all held in the same thrall.

"Don't stop. Please…" he heard Rosalie choke, her voice barely a whisper.

He managed to turn his head enough to see her, sprawled on the floor, half in Emmett's lap, her face tortured and longing at the same time.

_'Of course. Of all of us, she is the most wounded…'_ he thought, looking at her through eyes that were dazed and unfocused.

He had enough time to take a few breaths, to glance at Bella who was sitting beside him and see her peaceful face, before the bow glided across the strings again and the music began anew.

_'Massenet – Meditation from Thais…'_ he recalled, closing his eyes and surrendering.

It didn't send him as high this time. He was still aware of his body and his surroundings. Whatever magic that had been worked on him during the first piece was weaker now, although the music was no less moving.

From Massenet she went on to Bach, _Sonata for Violin in G Minor_, and then to Schubert, _Ave Maria_. She picked it up a notch with another Bach composition, _Chaconne_, then really broke the spell with a resounding rendition of Paganini's _Caprice No. 5_.

"And now that you've wowed us with the flaming interior decorator of composers, play mine," Izzy said drolly, when the last flourish of the bow ended.

They all chuckled as Maria gave her a tender smile and complied, touching the bow to one string. He drew in a deep breath and let it out as _Air on the G-String_ filled the room, perfect in its simplicity, so far from the whirling chaos of Paganini's compositions.

"Beautiful," Esme breathed, breaking the silence that followed when the music faded.

"Thank you," Maria replied, bowing her head.

He looked at his family, taking in their quiet, serene faces. Even Rosalie, still on the floor, looked peaceful and content, the shadows that haunted her eyes lessened and soothed. But none of them seemed to be aware of what had just happened; none seemed to know that a powerful spell had just been weaved around them.

_'And they won't know unless you tell them,'_ Izzy informed. _'Maria's gift is unconscious, and it only affects the listener to the extent that he needs the healing. The experience is intensely personal for each individual. Some are aware of what is happening, while others aren't.'_

_'Does __**she**__ know what she is doing?'_ he asked.

_'She knows that it's happening, but she doesn't understand why it happens. She has no control over it. Sometimes it doesn't manifest at all, sometimes it only affects a few in a crowd, sometimes it affects the whole audience. The power seems to have some rudimentary consciousness that can dictate what and when the healing energy is released, but I will tell you this: we know it works best on demons and those with demon blood. For instance, Rosalie was deeply affected, but your girl didn't feel a thing out of the ordinary.'_

He blinked and looked at Maria, seeing her with new eyes. _'If she had affected Zolan the way she just touched Rosalie and me…'_

Poor Zolan must not have known what hit him.

"Shall we play together? You said Chopin or Debussy?" Maria asked.

It took him a moment to realize that she was speaking to him, and he had to shake off the confusion.

"Y-yes, yes, of course. _Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor_?" he offered.

Maria nodded and raised Rosamun to her chin.

The rest of the afternoon was spent immersed in music, from Chopin and Debussy to Billy Joel and Elton John. Maria even played some Irish music – a couple of delightful reels that had Alice and Jasper dancing a jig, and some Gypsy songs taught to her by her grandfather. By the time they had played themselves out, several hours had passed and Vincent was getting hungry.

"We should be getting home," Maria announced, putting Rosamun back in her case.

"We could order pizza if you like," he said, making Izzy laugh.

"Now that would be fun. I wonder who would volunteer to deliver a pizza here," she mused.

"Why don't you stay and find out?" he countered.

"No. As much as we would like to, we really must be going. I don't like to be away from the protections around our home for too long, and we've been outside my shield for nearly six hours. It's time we were getting back," Maria answered.

"Will you come visit again?" Esme asked, sounding hopeful.

"I think we would like that. I know Vincent would love to play hacky-sack or baseball with you again."

"We'll call the next time there's going to be a big storm," he promised.

"Awesome!" Vincent exclaimed.

Maria extended her hand to her son and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"How should we get in touch with you?" Carlisle asked.

"We'll leave you our cell number," Izzy answered. "We'll also need a contact number for you guys in case something comes down, and we need to give you a heads up."

Esme ripped off half a sheet of paper from a memo pad by the phone and wrote down the house number.

"Give her my cell phone number too," he told her, and watched her scribble his number on the paper before handing it to Izzy.

Izzy reciprocated by writing her and Maria's cell phone numbers on the remaining half of the memo pad sheet.

"We don't have a land line," Izzy explained.

"A smart choice," Carlisle commented.

All of them escorted the two women and the boy out of the house to the porch, and began to bid them good-bye.

"Thank you for a lovely afternoon," Esme said.

"You're welcome. We had a wonderful time," Maria responded.

"Me too. Bye, Rose. We'll play more next time, ok?" Vincent added.

Rosalie smiled and waved. "You bet. Emmett still needs to beat you at hacky-sack."

Vincent giggled. "Not a chance. Bye everyone."

"You guys have a good night. We'll be in touch soon. In the meantime, you be safe," Izzy said, placing an arm around Maria and her son.

"Be safe," he repeated, waving.

Izzy gave them a wicked grin, and winked at him, then the three of them Jumped out of sight.

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Twelve

"Hand me that Phillips screwdriver, will ya? The one with the red handle?" Izzy asked, taking the side of the case off the desktop computer.

He sifted through the pile of tools and pulled out a thin screwdriver with a head small enough to fit the tiny screws inside the case. Not bothering to hide his speed, he handed her the tool, and she slipped it from his fingers with a nod. She didn't seem at all phased by how fast he could move, and he could just be himself because no one would look at him funny or gasp when they saw what he could do. It was freeing, just like it was with Bella.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," he replied.

Bella was at work for the next four hours, and he had been at loose ends. On a whim, he'd decided to call Izzy to see if a visit was possible, and, much to his surprise, he had been welcomed to their home. Izzy had met him at the end of the driveway, riding in with him to give him passage through the invisible shield Maria had cast around the property, and he had felt a faint stinging along his skin as they crossed the border.

He had only vague memories of the log cabin nestled in the forest, but now he was seated on the floor of a music room outfitted with Maria's violin, a student violin for Vincent, a cello named Violet, a clarinet, an acoustic guitar, two flutes and a set of electronic keyboards hooked up to a computer system. The hard drive in the computer was failing so Izzy had purchased a replacement.

"Does Maria play all of these instruments?" he asked.

"Yeah. She can play the harp too, but we sold that when we left New York."

"She's very talented."

Izzy grunted. "Always was. Graduated top of her class from Julliard."

"Impressive. Did you go to school?"

She didn't answer right away, and for a moment he thought she had closed up on him, but she was just pulling out the old hard drive.

"Went to Wesleyan College in Virginia. Dropped out my senior year," she finally said.

"Why?"

"Mia got pregnant."

He watched as she took the new hard drive and put it in the case, hooking the old one up as a secondary drive.

"You quit school to help her," he stated, a fond note to his voice.

"There wasn't much else I could do. She didn't have anybody. Zolan was gone. She didn't want him to know. There was no way she could tell her father she was pregnant out of wedlock. He'd thrown her out years before for wanting to study music."

"He did?"

"He was one of those born again holy rollers. He was convinced Maria was the devil spawn. Said she took after her grandfather too much. Called her a Gypsy whore and everything. He disowned her when she was seventeen. She moved in with my mom and me Senior Year of High School," she said, turning on the computer and checking to make sure that the new hard drive was recognized by the system.

He shook his head. He knew such things happened, but the idea that a father would disown a child for something so… petty, was beyond him. He had slaughtered humans for a decade, and Carlisle had forgiven him, welcomed him back into the family with open arms.

"So, she was scared. She didn't know what she was going to do. So I… left Wesleyan and moved up to New York to help her. Wasn't like I was giving up anything anyway. I wasn't doing much at college except wasting my dad's money."

"Did you know what Zolan… was?" he asked carefully.

She sighed. "Yeah. I was with her the first time she met him in England in 1992."

Her answer surprised him. "They met in England?"

"Yeah. Maria was competing in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin competition." She smiled, remembering. "She took second that year, but she should have won."

"Second is still quite an accomplishment." It was. The Menuhin was one of the most renowned musical competitions for young people in the world.

She nodded and looked at the monitor. The computer saw the hard drive so she began formatting the partitions. He took her distraction as a good opportunity to learn more about how and why Maria had come to be involved with a demon. He had to admit that he was curious, if only because everything they had to show and tell him was a new revelation, and a glimpse into a world he knew nothing about.

"How did they meet?" he asked, keeping his voice light and conversational.

Izzy chuckled. "It was T'eir's fault. He was on staff at the Kew Gardens, and he came down to Folkestone for the competition. He heard Maria practicing, and he recognized what she could do. He asked Zolan to come listen to the competition. Actually, he didn't ask him to come for the competition, he just asked Zolan to come, and then just happened to be in a place where Zolan could hear Maria playing."

She must have felt his confusion and his unspoken question upon hearing that T'eir was working anywhere. He had _seen_ T'eir. There was no way the Plant Weaver could pass for human.

"He can if he has a Concealment Spell," Izzy answered.

"Concealment Spell?"

"Yeah. Standard fare for non-humans living in the human world. See, this is what I was talking about when I said your species was insular. Vampires are nomads, usually. They don't stay in one place for too long so they never really get involved with other demons, but there are entire societies and markets out there built around non-humans."

"There are?" he blurted. The only society he was aware of was the Volturi in Italy, and _markets?_ Was she saying that there was some kind of demon department store?

"Sure. At any one time a population in an area can be 2 to 3 percent non-human, and in the really urban areas, it can go as high as eight. They have their own neighborhoods, their own businesses, their own elected officials. There are administrative councils and judicial tribunals all geared towards managing the demon population. They have their own law enforcement and peace officers. And that's just _here_. That doesn't even take into account the other worlds connected to this one that demons pass through to and from on a daily basis," she told him.

"Other worlds?" he repeated.

She gave him a patient look. "Zolan doesn't live here. He lives on the demon plane closest to Earth. There's gateways connecting the two worlds all over the place. You just have to know where they are."

His head was spinning. He knew he had asked for it because he'd wanted answers, but the answers were almost too much for him to process. Concealment spells, demon neighborhoods, demon law enforcement, other _worlds_… He was just getting used to the idea that there were other species of vampires different from his own, and the fact that someone out there had engineered a blood-producing _plant_. Just how much more was there that he didn't know? She must have heard his mental struggles because her expression turned apologetic.

"Look, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm dumping a boatload on you, but this is the way it is. Non-humans and humans live together on this world, and they do their best to co-exist. Most of the time, they do it peacefully. Sometimes the balance gets knocked out of whack and things go nuts. That's when corrective measures are put into action, and everything goes back to normal."

He swallowed and nodded. "I see."

"If you want to know more, or get involved, I'm sure I can pull a few strings and get you a meeting with someone on Seattle's Interspecies Administrative Council. That's if you think you guys are going to be staying in this area long enough to make that worth your while," she offered.

"Bella and I are leaving for Dartmouth at the end of the summer, but Carlisle… might be interested. I'll talk to him."

She nodded. "Okay. Just let me know."

"I will," he promised.

The new drive was finished formatting so Izzy turned her attention to installing the operating system. He was fine with that because he needed a few moments to collect his thoughts. He knew it would take him a while to reconcile everything so he decided to change the subject.

"But you were telling me about Maria and Zolan's first meeting. T'eir had recognized Maria's gift and he wanted Zolan to hear her play. Why?"

She turned away from the installing software and looked off at a distant corner of the room. He knew she wasn't looking at anything in particular; she was just remembering.

"T'eir knew Zolan from the time when he was just making a name for himself. He was a young, Outcast Fire Demon and T'eir gave him shelter. I think T'eir saw something in Zolan, something new and different. Here was a Fire Demon who hadn't killed his mother at birth. That was unheard of. It was a… whole new thing."

She shifted her gaze to him, looking into his eyes, and he felt the barrier come down as she shared her memories with him. T'eir had been intrigued by the young demon, and had developed a certain fondness for him over the years. That fondness had turned into an abiding friendship between the two, a friendship that had lasted more than eight centuries, and T'eir knew Zolan's pain, the darkness that the Fire Demon carried inside of him. He had hoped the little human with the Healing Gift could help his friend so he had conspired to bring the two together.

"I don't think T'eir had any idea what would happen. I know he was hoping Maria's Gift would help Zolan in some way, but don't think he was anticipating how much Maria would affect him," she admitted.

"Her Gift affected Zolan very strongly then," he stated.

"Oh yeah. That would be the understatement of the century… or, in Zolan's case, nine centuries."

"The Earth moved?" he prompted, giving her his trademark half-smile.

"The stars realigned. The planets changed their orbits. And a demon who had spent the previous eight and three-quarter centuries not feeling anything suddenly found himself utterly captivated by a girl – a _human_ girl no less. It was scandalous."

He chuckled at Izzy's gossiping tone. "Like me and Bella. I'd wandered alone for almost a century, thinking I was content and complete in myself, but then I met _her_ and…"

"Love at first sight," she finished for him.

"No, I _hated_ her. I thought she was a demon sent to ruin me," he bemoaned.

"Well, that makes a whole lot of sense," she quipped.

There was no way he could put it into words, so he opened his mind instead, just as Izzy had done for him, reliving those confusing, frustrating first few weeks of his and Bella's relationship. Izzy's eyes opened wide as she saw his memories, and he got a thrill from the simplicity of it all. He didn't need to explain anything to her, all he had to do was show her and she understood. It was such a _relief_. Now he knew how Alice felt whenever she was able to just show him what she had Seen instead of trying to put it into words.

"Ah," Izzy said when he was done, but it was enough. "Well, obviously you worked it all out because you're getting married in a couple of weeks."

"Twelve days," he corrected, grinning.

"Where are you taking her for the honeymoon?"

His grin widened. "It's a secret."

She chuckled, then sobered when she caught his darkening thoughts. Every time he thought about his upcoming nuptials, he couldn't help but be reminded of the conditions of their deal, two in particular that weighed heavily on him: Bella's wedding night expectations and her desire to be a vampire before her nineteenth birthday.

"What's that?" Izzy asked, frowning.

He shook his head, shoving his fears back into their box. The simplicity of mental communication had just become an unintentional invasion of his privacy, but he didn't blame her; he was the one who couldn't manage to keep her out.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," she told him in a gentle tone.

He pressed his lips into a tight line. _'I don't.'_

"Okay."

And just like that the subject was dropped. It was such a relief, and he respected her for abiding by his wishes.

"So, what happened after Zolan heard Maria play?" he reminded her, calling her attention back from the installing operating system. "

"He began stalking her."

"He did?" he gasped.

"They hadn't been introduced yet, but he would follow her. At night he would perch on the roof above our dormitory window, waiting to hear her play. We didn't know he was there, not really. Neither of us were trained back then. I was sensitive, but I kept thinking that I was feeling a ghostly haunting instead of a demon sitting on the roof."

She said the last with some amusement, as it if was funny in hindsight, which he supposed it was. But still the parallel between Zolan and Maria and him and Bella was disturbing. Both struck by the lightning of love, both choosing to watch the objects of their affections from afar.

_'Well, not far for long if she got pregnant,'_ he mused.

"That wouldn't happen until years later," Izzy said, interrupting his thoughts. "As it was, Maria had another stalker, this one human. He was an older kid from Germany, and he was totally obsessed with her. No matter how much she tried to tell him that she wasn't interested, he wouldn't leave her alone. So one day, the night before she was to compete, we were walking back to the dorm from dinner, and this guy steps in front of us. We had no idea what to do. Mia was gonna scream for help when the scariest man I'd ever seen in my entire life just landed between us and that kid. He was snarling and he grabbed the kid by the throat, like he was gonna strangle him right there. I remember the kid being lifted right off the ground. He was kicking and wheezing because he couldn't breathe…" She stopped, and he saw her memories: a young man, maybe nineteen or twenty, held in the iron-grip of a red-eyed demon who had him by the throat.

"T'eir saved that kid's life. He blipped in a moment before the kid turned blue and made Zolan let him go. But he'd been stupid and not activated his spell so we could see him as he was, and of course, Zolan's never used one in his life, and I know you think he looks human, but that night… there was no way we didn't know that he wasn't."

He stared at her. It was like the day he had saved Bella from the skidding van, when he had risked exposure to save her life. What had T'eir been thinking? What had _Zolan_ been thinking? He knew what he had done when Bella was threatened. Was it possible that Zolan had acted the same way? Of course it was. The object of his affections had been in danger. There had been no thought to it, no rational discourse, just a gut reaction.

_'Not her…'_ He saw the blue van careening towards the slight, brown-haired girl all over again. Felt the panic, the anguish…

_'Yes, that's it exactly.'_

And then their eyes had met. He'd stared into Bella's shocked face, and he had felt… What?

_'Like someone had just skewered you right through the gut, but you didn't care,'_ Izzy said.

_'Like I'd been waiting my entire life just to meet her…'_ he corrected, but the skewering part wasn't that far off the mark. He _had_ felt like someone had just kicked him in the spleen.

Izzy laughed softly. "Yeah. It was kinda like that. There we were: Zolan, T'eir, Maria and me, all there with this unconscious kid dangling from Zolan's hand, and Maria and Zolan staring at each other like they'd both just been struck by lightning. Needless to say it was a very _interesting_ evening."

"I can imagine," he agreed, smiling with his own memories. The early months of his and Bella's relationship after he had declared himself to her were so sweet. He cherished them as a simpler time before he'd made all of his terrible mistakes, before he had left Bella to save her and almost gotten her killed – twice. "What happened after that? Did he court her like I courted Bella?"

She shook her head. "Zolan's not the courting type. No. He and T'eir spent the rest of the night with us, mostly with T'eir explaining." She laughed without mirth. "You think _you_ were overwhelmed. At least you had an inkling that there were monsters out there. We had no clue. I got a crash course in Demonology 101 that night.

"Then they came to the competition the following day. I didn't know it, but Zolan was up in the scaffolding above the stage, keeping out of sight. He came down after Mia's performance and joined us in the waiting area."

"Zolan skulked in a corner, scaring everyone away with a look, but I paced enough for both us," Maria's voice interrupted.

He looked up to see her coming into the room carrying a tray. One sniff told him that at least one of the glasses was filled with Blood Vine. His stomach muscles clenched in anticipation.

"He was so angry when you didn't win. What did he say again?" Izzy commented.

Maria's face went stern and serious, and she imitated Zolan's deep whisper almost perfectly, "You were the superior player."

Izzy laughed out loud. "Right! Exactly. You were the superior player."

"Who was? Mom?" Vincent asked, appearing behind his mother.

"Yeah, at the Menuhin when she came in second."

"Well, duh. Of course my mom was the superior player."

His child's conviction set them all to laughing. Maria knelt on the carpet and placed the tray down on the floor. Edward could see five glasses, two of which were Blood Vine. The other three looked and smelled like iced tea. She handed him one of the glasses filled with red.

"You'll have to let me know what you think of this. It's another variety, a fairly new hybrid."

He nodded in thanks and drank, only sparing a small moment wondering how strange it was to be sitting in a house full of humans, drinking blood squeezed from a plant. Oh, how surreal his life had become.

"Mmm," he said, swallowing. "It's good. Did you add anything to it?"

Maria shook her head as she handed a glass of iced tea to Izzy. "No, that's how it tastes."

He finished off the glass and picked up the second before she was able to give Vincent his iced tea.

"Do you like it?" she questioned.

"Very much so. It's light and sweet."

"They say it has a floral bouquet."

He considered her words and agreed. "Yes, that's it exactly."

She smiled. "I'll give you the seeds."

"Thank you."

She shrugged. "Anything I can do to help. I'm all for humans not being eaten."

From beside him Izzy chortled and spoke in a fake Australian accent, "People are friends, not food."

"Did you just quote _Finding Nemo_?" Vincent piped up.

"I dunno. I have no short term memory," Izzy quipped back.

He almost choked on his drink trying not to laugh. "Don't do that!"

They just laughed and he quickly finished the second glass before anything else could happen.

"Hey, Hellboy II opened up this weekend," Vincent commented. "Can we go? Please?"

"We'll see how things are tomorrow," Maria replied.

"In the meantime, I have a wild craving to see the first one," Izzy said.

Vincent slipped off one of his gloves and a small fireball danced on his palm. "I'll make the popcorn!"

They laughed again and Vincent snuffed out the fire with a grin.

"So, how is the patient?" Maria asked, motioning to the computer.

"The operation was a success. All I have to do is transfer the data from the old drive and we're good to go," Izzy answered, rebooting the computer now that the operating system was done installing.

"Wonderful. I would have hated to lose all those songs."

"Songs?" he repeated, curious. "Do you compose?"

Maria looked sad for a moment. "We used to. It was one of the ways we earned a living after I graduated from Julliard. Neither of us had any parental money coming in, and Vincent was a baby so it wasn't like I could accept a normal job. Positions for concert violinists aren't that numerous s we did what we could. I picked up a few jobs here and there, and Izzy flipped burgers…"

"You want fries with that?" the other woman teased.

"And we sold a few songs. They did alright."

"Did Mom tell you she played violin on the _Tarzan_ score?" Vincent asked.

He gave Maria a curious look. "No, she didn't."

"I was just a little kid, but I remember Phil Collins was nice."

"But the best was right before you were born," Izzy stated, then looked over at him to explain. "We got an opportunity to do some work with Trevor Jones. He was doing the music for _The Mighty_, and we got to meet Sting." She gave him an apologetic look. "Hey, you're cute and all, but _**Sting**_. That was the best. The highlight of everything."

He pretended to be offended, but he really wasn't. There was a strange feeling in his chest, a warmth spreading that had nothing to do with the food he had just consumed, and everything to do with the company.

"And Mom played violin on the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ scores too," Vincent added proudly.

Maria stood and grabbed Rosamun, zipping out the violin section of _Drink Up Me Hearties_ with a theatrical flourish. He laughed and clapped. "Bravo!"

"Play more! Play more!" Vincent pleaded, running to pick up his violin, and soon mother and son were playing together, bows dancing across the strings as they played more selections from the movie scores.

_'Mom says it's okay for me to stop shielding from you. That's good coz I don't like shielding from my friends,'_ came Vincent's mindvoice, just before all the barriers came down, and he was privy to Maria's, Vincent's and Izzy's thoughts, all joyful and warm.

He looked at Izzy, taking in a face that was for once devoid of cynicism or suspicion, and he was honored to bear witness to such an unguarded moment. She looked so much younger, so happy and unburdened.

_'Izzy, play with us!'_ Vincent cajoled. _'Edward, you too!'_

He caught the reluctance in Izzy's thoughts, then heard her make the decision to comply.

_'Just give me a minute to start this transfer,'_ she replied, initiating a mass copy of data from the old hard disk to the new.

_'What do you want to play?' _he asked.

She waffled between the guitar and the keyboards, but he saw a flash of pain when she looked at the keys.

_'You take the synths, I'll play the guitar,' _she answered.

Eagerly, he hopped up and took the stool by the keyboards, turning them on and delighting in the crackling hum of the instruments powering-up. Izzy stood and picked up the acoustic guitar, moving to sit on the floor by the window. He didn't know what they were playing, but that was okay because he could read the music from Izzy's mind, and they spent the next two hours playing everything from Broadway tunes to Alternative Rock.

There was a freedom in it, an unbearable lightness of being as Kundera had described, in just being himself. He'd never had _friends_. Not people who were not his brothers and sisters or other vampires. Not people who were _human_. He'd always had to hide, to keep himself away from what he once was, and now to find that he didn't have to, not here at least, was an unbelievable relief, a comfort. He _liked_ it; just as he had liked sharing his truths with Bella. He liked playing and sharing with these odd humans with their even odder lives. Lives full of Fire Demons, and Plant Weavers, and Interspecies Administrative Councils, and six-armed Goalies. After all of that, what was one vampire?

_'What's one vampire indeed?'_ came Izzy's amused voice.

And Edward Cullen, vampire, laughed and sang louder.

TBC …


	13. Chapter 13

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: This one is short, I know. It and the one previously were background and filler chapters meant to set up a few things. The plot's gonna heat up with the next installment.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Thirteen

_'And this one is of Izzy and me with Sting after we finished working on the score,'_ Maria said, showing him a photograph of a much younger pair of girls, one of whom was very pregnant.

'_And that's me,'_ Vincent added, pointing to the bump under Maria's maternity dress and making them chuckle.

Izzy was sitting next to Sting, his arm around her shoulder, sporting the widest grin Edward had ever seen on her.

_'I was such a fangirl. It was hard to string two coherent sentences together,'_ she admitted, her thoughts laced with remembered happiness. _'But seriously, how often to you get an opportunity to work on a score where the main title is called Freak the Mighty? Doesn't get any better than that. And I got to meet __**Sting!**__'_

_'I think he liked you,'_ Maria commented innocently.

_'Do not tease me, woman!'_

Maria laughed a tittering, delighted giggle, and he looked up to see that all the years in between had melted away from her face. She looked every bit the young, lively girl in the photograph, vibrant and happy. Izzy, too, looked younger, the dark shadows that haunted both of their faces scared away by their laughter, and he realized that he was seeing how they had looked before all the pain had come upon them. He was humbled by the trust they were showing him in allowing him to witness such unguarded moments, and almost felt like he was invading their privacy.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. He would have to leave very soon if he wanted to pick up Bella from work. For the first time in a very long time he was sorry to see an afternoon spent without Bella end. After the jam session had ended, they'd all retired to the den on the lower floor of the cabin where Maria had brought out a photo album and a box of credits and awards she and Izzy had earned for songwriting in the late 90's- early 21st century. He was shocked to recognize some of the titles. Apparently, the duo had been well on their way to making a name for themselves as songwriters and lyricists, but there were no credits after 2002, and he was afraid to ask what had happened. Obviously, something had made Izzy stop songwriting and Maria wouldn't compose without her.

Maria turned the page to reveal a grainy photograph that had obviously been enlarged from a poor quality smaller photo. It was an image of her and Zolan caught, apparently, on their way out for an evening. Maria was dressed in a gorgeous red dress that showed off all of her curves and assets, and she was beaming as she held Zolan's arm. Zolan was out of his trademark black on black in a crisp cut three-piece suit with a red cabochon jewel on the mandarin collar of his white shirt. He looked uncomfortable and uncertain, but Maria didn't seem to notice.

_'That's the only picture I have of him. I hadn't seen him in almost 6 years, and then one night he was just there outside of my apartment window. He stayed for nearly three weeks,'_ Maria thought wistfully_. 'I'd gotten tickets to a performance of Holst's The Planets, and my neighbor saw us leaving. He made us stop so he could take our picture there in the hall. Zolan wasn't going to, but then he allowed it because he could tell that it would make me happy.'_

He looked at the old photograph, understanding its significance.

_'He was gone two days later. But he left me the greatest gift anyone could ever have given me.'_

He heard her sigh and saw her ruffle her son's hair. Vincent giggled, his mental laughter bubbling through his thoughts.

She turned the page to show a picture of her sitting in front of a large window, her profile almost in complete silhouette, her hands resting lightly on her swollen womb. Her face was peaceful, her countenance beautiful, and he felt a twinge of longing. How could he turn Bella and deny her this? How could he take all of her future babies away like Royce and Carlisle had taken Rosalie's?

_'Maybe she doesn't want babies. Some women have no desire to be mothers,'_ Izzy noted.

_'Don't you want to be?'_ he asked, surprised.

Izzy's face darkened and she closed off. _'I can't. I'm… sterile.'_

He blanched. _'Forgive me. I was horribly rude.'_

_'S'ok, Mia's been known to loan the kid out on occasion,'_ she answered, giving Maria a wry smile as Vincent ran over and hugged her.

_'You're a great second mom.'_

_'Thanks, kid.'_

The moment was too intimate, and he was mortified by his insensitivity. He decided that now would be a good time to make his exit. Bella would be waiting for him, after all.

_'I should go. I need to pick up Bella.'_

Izzy stood and walked out of the den with him. _'I'll see you out. I need to give you a talisman so you can cross the shield anyway. Once you have it, you can come and go whenever you want.'_

_'I truly am sorry…' _he apologized again as they climbed the steps up to the main level of the cabin.

She waved a dismissive hand. _'Can it. I said it was ok.'_

_'Still, I don't know what got into me. I'm not usually so crass.'_

_'You were just being your normal, curious self. Nothing wrong with that.'_

_'It is if I forgot my manners.'_

She gave a mental snort and he had to smile. The ease of mental communication was freeing in its own right, and something he wished he could share with Bella.

_'Have you figured out why no one can hear Bella's thoughts?'_ he questioned.

_'I have some theories but no proof. If I figure it out, I'll let you know.'_

_'Won't you tell me one theory?'_ he wheedled.

_'Honestly?'_

_'Truly.'_

_'I think she may have a very mild form of Cerebral Palsy.'_

He blinked, momentarily stunned. _'Really?'_

_'It makes sense. If oxygen had been deprived from her at birth for the barest of moments, it could have damaged the telepathic center of her brain and also caused her unbelievable clumsiness. I've noticed that she tends to unconsciously curl one foot under a little bit. It's very subtle, but it's there.'_

_'I __**must**__ discuss this with Carlisle.'_

_'Why? There's no treatment or cure for it, and it's so mild it doesn't even warrant_ _physical therapy.'_

He sighed. _'True. And I doubt becoming a vampire would fix it either.'_

_'Are you really going to turn her?'_ came the sudden question.

He gulped, realizing that his ease with her had made him let down his guard a little too much.

_'You thought of it earlier. I saw how much it hurt you. Will you share this pain with me?'_

_'I… shouldn't. It's… private. I'm sorry.'_ But he knew he'd already leaked most of it by just thinking about it. How much had she seen and understood? He cast her a worried glance, but her face gave nothing away.

_'It's okay. I understand. Some things are just too personal. I know.'_

He believed her because he knew that they still had their secrets as well.

_'But if you need someone to talk to…'_

He stopped and took her hand in his. _'Thank you.'_

She gave him a small smile and a little shrug. _'Anytime. In case you hadn't noticed, I kinda like you.'_

He chuckled and they walked out to his car. Once there, she reached into her pocket to pull out a Chinese coin. _'Here. Keep this with you. It'll give you safe passage through the shield.'_

He accepted the coin and placed it in the chest pocket of his shirt. _'Thank you.'_

_'We'll probably pop by the house tomorrow or the day after. Mia has that hybrid for you.'_

_'I'll tell Esme. Have things been quiet recently?'_

_'I killed a spy bug yesterday. Just a little construct sent to do recon on us. Wasn't anything at all hard to get rid of. And there were a couple of Level 3 thugs skulking around that I had to deal with, but nothing I couldn't handle. I even kept my promise and let Sparky have one. He did well.'_

He smiled, remembering how angry Vincent had been about Izzy killing the nomad vampires. _'I'm sure that made him happy.'_

She nodded. _'It did,_ _but I'm getting the impression that there's a much bigger fish behind all of this, and he's sending these little small fry to test our defenses and wear us down. Then when he thinks we're weak, and Zolan is distracted, he come for the big attack,'_ she admitted.

_'Truly? If you need our help, please call us. We'll do whatever we can. At least I will…'_ He frowned, worried.

_'Anything big comes down the pike, I want you to run. As far as power levels go, vampires don't rate very high. Going up against a powerful demon would be suicide for any of you. You can help me most by staying out of the way.'_

He gritted his teeth. _'I promise not to do anything stupid.'_

_'Like rush a Komodo Demon.'_

_'Like rush a Komodo Demon,'_ he agreed.

_'Good boy._

He growled._ 'I reserve the right to renegotiate if I find the terms of the agreement too restrictive.'_

_'Oooh, such formal words!' _She laughed. _'Don't worry about us. I've been keeping Mia and Sparky alive this long. I can keep doing it.'_

_'I don't doubt that, but even you might need a little help sometimes.'_

He got into his car and she leaned against the open driver's side window.

_'Yeah, I know, and it is appreciated. Go get your girl. We'll see you tomorrow or the day after. Be safe.'_

_'And you. Be safe.'_

She stepped away from the Volvo, and he put the car in gear, waving as he headed down the driveway.

TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: **WARNING!** This chapter contains Feral!Edward. That means it's **violent **and has blood and guts in it. Edward needs to work out some of his aggressions.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Fourteen

_"It's a couple of Level 2's. Nothing to worry about."_

That had been the message on his voicemail. Esme had gotten the same missive. Apparently, Izzy thought the new threats might encroach on Cullen territory, and she'd given them a heads up that she was on the hunt.

_"Nothing to worry about."_

He didn't care. He was going anyway. He needed to _kill_ something, and he surely didn't want it to be his fiancée.

He was so angry. He was sure he'd been angrier, but he couldn't remember when through the red haze of his rage. It wasn't enough that she'd found out about the Guardian, and given him a tongue-lashing about the car. He'd been somewhat prepared for it, so when she flipped out on him about the damn thing, he'd been ready to brush it off. It was just Bella being Bella, and for some reason she hated that he tried to keep her safe. She'd said she'd been insulted – _insulted!_ – that he had given her a car that was almost impossible to destroy.

From there the argument had degenerated to the standard fare of "You always go overboard!", "I'm the laughing stock of the town!", "I can take care of myself!", and "It won't matter after the wedding because I won't be breakable for long." Yes, of course, remind him that he'd promised to _kill_ her as a wedding present. Thank you, oh so much. Just stick the knife into his heart a little further. Yes, just like that.

No, that wasn't what had sent him into a black fury. No. She had to go and blab to the _**dogs**_ about the Blood Vine, and he'd had to deal with a red-faced Seth Clearwater coming to their home to verify that the "leeches" really _had_ gone vegetarian. He'd felt bad for the boy because they were friends of a sort, and Seth and his mother were coming to the wedding, but finding out why he was there… All he had seen was red.

Worse was when he'd confronted Bella about it, she had no concept of why he was so furious with her. In her mind, the dogs knowing about their alternative food source was a _good_ thing, something else to convince the Quileutes that the Cullens were good vampires, not killers.

"But we _are_ killers!" he'd yelled, frightening her. "Just because we try not to kill, just because we do our best to control ourselves, doesn't mean we won't rip out your throat if you piss us off enough!"

She'd flinched away from him then, her eyes watery, and for once he couldn't stand it. He was just as stressed as she was with the wedding only five days away – the wedding she didn't want and was actually making him feel _guilty_ for making her go through with! As if marrying him was such a terrible thing! – even more so because he was buckling under the weight of her expectations. The wedding night, her crazy hope that he could physically join with her without killing her, her insistence that he make her a monster shortly after their honeymoon…

She'd adamantly refused to give him any more time no matter how much he begged.

_'Please Bella, just a few months.'_

No. No. No.

_'Can't we renegotiate it at all?'_

No. No. No.

_'Please, Bella, please.'_

No. No. No.

He was going to have to do it. He was going to have to uphold their agreement. She was going to force him to turn a perfectly healthy, vibrant, beautiful eighteen year-old girl with absolutely nothing wrong with her except a pathological fear of getting older into a monster like him! How could he?

And it wasn't like there weren't at least two other vampires just waiting to turn his beloved for him. Oh, no! Carlisle had already said he would do it, and Alice, _**Alice,**_ had promised the Volturi that it would be done with all haste. So even if he did go back on his word – something he would never do – Bella was still dead. His bride was a corpse bride, her warmth and her heartbeat cooled and silenced forever.

Maybe Alice should have planned a funeral instead of a wedding if she was so happy about getting a new sister. No one cared that he was horrified and appalled by the prospect. No one seemed to mind that they were ending a perfectly healthy life. No, they were all gushing about how _**easy**_ it would be for Bella to make the change because of morphine and Blood Vine.

_'Oh yes, piece of cake, just let me slit her wrists and bite her. She'll be just fine in three days. And when she wakes, we'll give her all the homegrown blood she wants so she won't eat the town!'_

If he was honest, he had to admit that the one he was angriest with was himself, because deep down in his black heart he wanted Bella with him for eternity, and his family knew it. They were so happy that he had found a mate that they were determined to give her to him even if they had to drag him, kicking and screaming, all the way. Hell, even _**Esme**_ would change her for him if she thought it was what would make him happy.

But he wasn't happy! He didn't want her dead! Not yet! Not so soon! He wanted her warmth and her pulse and her scent, all wrapped around him for years and years, until there was a reason to change her, until it didn't feel so _**wrong**_. When it didn't feel like he was stealing her from a normal life because of his own selfish weakness, and his inability to do the right thing and let her go. But that wish, that little wish, was being denied. For him, for the greater good.

That was, of course, provided he didn't crush her skull trying to make love to her on their wedding night. Idiot girl, wanting him to be a proper husband to her when he was a monster. Didn't she listen to anything he'd tried to tell her over the past two years? Didn't she understand how delicate and fragile she was in his hands? Stupid, selfish, reckless girl! Why did he love her so much? She'd break him. She'd kill him. He just knew it. He wanted to scream and bash his head through a wall.

Everything, everything was getting out of control. _**He**_ was getting out of control. He needed to hunt to get rid of tension, but Bella didn't want him to go too far. So _he_ could support _her_ through the rough time she was having. _**She**_ was having! He was on the verge of completely cracking, and _**she**_ needed _**him**_ to hold her hand! She had no idea!

Helping Izzy kill demons seemed a perfect way to rend some flesh without breaking his promise, and he found her easily enough. She was just on the southern border of their territory, fighting what looked like a pair of grey-fleshed ogres. They didn't look very dangerous, swinging at her with their meaty arms, snarling incoherently, and Izzy didn't look the least bit stressed. If anything the feral glee in her eyes triggered his own blood lust.

One of them gurgled something in a language he didn't recognize, but Izzy just grinned.

"Oh! Do you kiss your momma with that mouth? Oh, that's right. You don't have a momma. She fulfilled her maternal obligation when she dropped your egg into the pit! Awww. No family cookouts for you," she taunted.

It roared at her and swung again. She danced out of the way, laughing.

_**'Izzy!'**_ he called, announcing his presence, reining in the monster inside of him long enough to communicate clearly.

_'Eddie? What are you doing here?'_

_'You said Level 2, right?'_ he asked, ignoring her question.

_'Yeah…'_

_'What am I?'_

_'Hundred year-old venomous vampire? About a mid-Level 3.'_

_'So, I'm stronger?'_

_'Than these two bozos? Yeah, no doubt about it.'_

_'So I can __**kill**__ them.'_

_'I guess…'_

_'Where are they vulnerable?'_

_'Oh the usual places. Head, neck, chest…'_

_'Good!'_

_'But…"_

He didn't give her a chance to finish the thought before he attacked. He leaped, growling, and his hands met leathery flesh. He dug in, ripping and tearing, letting his feral blood take control, pouring all of his rage into killing the beast. The skin gave way under his fingers, his prey roared and tried to dislodge him, and he felt the satisfactory squish of blood on his hands. The ogre spun, but he was on its back, and the thing's big arms couldn't reach far enough to grab him. He plunged his fist into its body, crushing the shoulder blade as he ripped the head back. The skull separated from the neck, and he was on the second before the first stopped twitching. It, too, was dead within moments.

But it wasn't enough. His hands and arms were stained with gore up to his elbows, but it wasn't enough to quench his rage or his thirst. The demon blood was putrid and noxious. He wouldn't dare drink any of it, but he was _hungry_ and there was a beating heart nearby.

_'This was a bad idea. This was a __**very**__**bad**__ idea!'_ the tiny portion of his still functioning brain cried, even as his monster turned to the other person with him.

Warm-blooded. Human. Food. He crouched and sprang.

He was knocked back by an invisible force. He recovered and leaped again, only to be knocked back again. This time he hit his head on a tree, breaking the trunk, but the blow brought him somewhat to his senses. He lifted his head to see Izzy standing several yards away from him, watching him, her body tense and at the ready.

_'Izzy…'_ he gasped, mortified by what he had done.

She beckoned him forward. _'Again. Come at me again,' _she ordered.

_'What? No!'_

_'You haven't had enough. Come at me again.'_

_'No! You're my friend!'_

She sneered at him and grabbed a knife discarded by one of the dead ogres, slicing her hand clear across the palm. She let the blood drip on the grass. His monster smelled it. He snapped.

Roaring, he rushed her, hands fisted into claws, and this time she ran after she knocked him back. He tore off after her, stalking her, hunting her. She was no match for his speed, but the chase thrilled him – even more when she started Jumping to keep herself just two steps ahead of him – and they streaked through the forest, predator and prey, crashing through the woods.

His monster screamed with joy as he ran her down, the venom foaming on his lips in anticipation. He was free! He was a killer! He was the greatest predator to ever live! His prey would tremble before him and give up her blood!

She stopped running and faced him, her expression hard and fierce. He threw himself at her, only to have her vanish before he made contact. He slammed right into a black bear. The bear screamed. He roared back and sank his teeth into its throat, gulping hungrily as it writhed in his grasp.

When he came back to himself, the bear was a mashed pulp of fur and dead flesh, his rage was smothered in blood, and he was appalled by how far he had let himself slip. Dragging himself away from the mangled corpse, he slumped against a tree trunk, mildly aware that it had started to rain. He moved to wipe his mouth only to find that his hands were still black with ogre blood, and he almost retched. He lay there, stunned and panting, getting soaked, until he realized that he was not alone.

_'Feeling better?'_ Izzy asked him.

He grunted and turned his head away in shame. He couldn't face her, not after what he had just done. He heard her come closer, then felt her gently take his hand, his blood covered, icy cold hand.

"C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up."

He wanted to refuse, to slink under a rock and just die or something else to make the pain go away, but she tugged on his arm gently, insistently, until he moved. He staggered beside her, numb and dazed, and leaned against her shoulder as she put her arm around him and Jumped them back to the cabin.

Maria was there in the kitchen, something cooking on the stove. Vincent was with her, and they both stood and stared in alarm when Izzy brought him in.

_'What…?'_

_'Not now, Mia,'_ he heard her warn.

Maria seemed to understand, and she shushed Vincent from asking questions. His eyes met the boy's, and he didn't know what the child saw, but it was enough to make him not argue. Together all three of them walked with him as Izzy guided him to the living room and sat him down on the plush couch.

"What can I do?" Maria asked.

"Get his shirt."

The white oxford was ruined, stained beyond repair with blood and gore.

_'No, we can clean it. We have special soap,'_ he heard Maria reply as she slipped the material from his shoulders and carried it off.

How predictable. Of course they would have special soap designed to get blood out of clothing.

"Sparky, heat up some water, and when you're done that, get some Blood Vine from the back. The little, pink-veined ones. He likes them best," Izzy told Vincent.

He didn't hear the boy's answer, but he heard him moving quickly around the house. Soon a bowl of steaming water was placed on the cocktail table in front of him, along with some dishtowels and a bar of funny smelling soap. While he sat there, limp and compliant, Izzy took his hands and placed them in the hot water, soaking the blood out from underneath his fingernails. He didn't seem to have the strength to stop her.

_'Do you have a chi-sink on me again?'_ he asked absently.

_'No. You're just in shock.'_

Her hands were gentle as she used one of the dishtowels to wash his face and arms, bathing him tenderly, making sure the gore was removed from his elbows, his wrists, his hands.

They didn't speak. He didn't know what he would have said even if they had. He was a monster, and he had let her see him in all his terrifying glory. She ought to be running, screaming from him, not washing the evidence from his marble flesh.

_'You are what you are. No more, no less.'_

He couldn't handle her forgiveness now.

_'What kind of soap is that? It smells funny.'_

_'It's xecca root soap. Meant for getting blood out of skin and clothes. Gets the smell out too, good enough for demon noses. We picked some up at a demon market in Seattle's Underground when we took Sparky to the movies.'_

_'Ah.'_

She was drying him now. Patting his hair, rubbing his arms. The friction made heat, almost as hot as her skin against his. His pants were soaked through; he was getting their couch wet…

_'Don't worry about that. It'll dry.'_

She wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, a stupid, futile gesture that touched him all the same because of its tenderness. Bella was wrong. She thought Izzy was hard and cold. Bella had never seen Izzy like this. He realized that hardly anyone ever saw Izzy like this.

She didn't say anything, only urged him to lie down beside her on the couch, curled up against her body with his head under her chin like a child in need of comfort. Was that what he was? He didn't know, but he allowed it. All he knew was that he was numb, disconnected from his body, and she was the only thing anchoring him to the earth. He could hear and feel her heartbeat under his cheek, thudding softly, evenly. Like Bella's heartbeat, all too soon to be silenced. He choked on the thought and began to shake, fine tremors shivering through his body.

_'Will you share this pain with me?'_ she asked again, just as she had the last time, stroking his damp hair with her fingers.

He resisted, tensing, and he felt her back off.

_'It's okay. You don't have to.'_

He relaxed, sighing, and closed his eyes. She wouldn't push him. It was a small consolation.

"Well I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord. But you don't really care for music, do ya?" he heard her sing, so softly, so sweetly, the first lines of Jeff Buckley's _Hallelujah_. "It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth. The minor fall and the major lift. The baffled king composing Hallelujah."

He heard the music in his head, the mournful notes, the sad lyrics of love and pain. Her voice was good. Not opera singer or soloist good, but in tune and on pitch, and soothing and beautiful in its own way, an unsteady alto barely above a whisper.

"Hallelujah. Hallelujah." _'Mia, play. Play for him. He needs it.'_

She was back. He could smell her, hear her heartbeat thumping in staccato time with Izzy's slow pulse. Then he heard the slide of a bow across strings, and Rosamun began to sing along with Izzy's voice.

Maria had his soul, vibrating it in time with the music of the violin, and he could feel the Healing Spell being weaved around him, wrapping him in love and warmth. He couldn't tell them what was wrong. He couldn't speak of something so private and so intimate, but he couldn't stop them from seeing into his heart, not when he was so open and vulnerable. He made one last attempt to shield his mind before he shuddered and gave himself over.

TBC …


	15. Chapter 15

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Fifteen

He sipped the Blood Vine slowly, thankful that he'd finally stopped trembling, and let Maria brush the snarls out of his now dry hair. It was a pleasant sensation, and her gentle hands made tingles run up and down his spine. No one had brushed his hair in… he couldn't remember when.

He was still recovering, still quiet and compliant, allowing them to flutter around him like two birds over a chick. He felt hollow, but peaceful, experiencing a strange kind of lethargy that came from emotional exhaustion. His friends had blocked their minds from him, not because they were angry or upset, but because they wanted to give him the silence, the comfort of being alone in his own head. It was something he rarely experienced, and he was grateful for their kindness. They had been far, far, far too kind to him, and he felt guilty for imposing himself on their lives, but he couldn't bring himself to go home, not yet.

He'd been there for hours. He didn't know how long. He knew it was long enough for Alice to call Maria's cell phone to check up on him. His sister knew he was there, his whole family knew, but there was jack-all they could do about it because they couldn't get through the shield, so he was safe from their concern, from their minds, from his sister's visions.

He sighed. He was _tired_. He almost considered asking Maria to knock him out, just so he could shut down his own mind for a while. Maybe he could reboot like a computer and start operating normally again. Maybe now he was operating in Safe Mode – without Networking even – and he just needed a fresh start.

He closed his eyes and leaned against Izzy's shoulder. He was putting his full weight on her, but she didn't seem to be at all affected by it. She'd explained that all she had to do to keep him from crushing her was to channel extra chi to that side of her body and make a low level shield. He didn't care how she did it, he was only grateful that she could. Breaking his friend's bones by accident would not have been a good thing for him to do considering the mental state he was in at the moment.

He took another sip from the glass. It was cooling and it always tasted better hot, just like real blood. He must have made a face because Vincent's bare hand was on the glass a second later, and he felt the heat returning to the liquid.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice sounding odd in the silence.

He didn't know how much the boy had understood about what had happened. Vincent only knew that his new friend had fallen apart and needed someone to put him back together, and the three of them had done so without guile or hesitation. If he could have wept, he would have. He didn't deserve their kindness; not after what he had done, what he was going to do. Maria rubbed his scalp and he gave a small, hitched sob, then someone started to hum and the pain eased. It had to be Maria; only she was capable of easing the ache with music.

"I should go," he mumbled, his voice thick with emotion.

"When you're ready. You can stay here all night if that's what you need. You're safe here," Izzy whispered back.

"I don't deserve it. Not after what I did. You saw me. I would have killed you."

"No. You never could." Her voice was gentle but firm.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "How can you be so sure? You know what I'm going to do to Bella."

"That hasn't been determined," Izzy responded.

"But it has. I made the agreement. I have to uphold it."

"Even if it kills you to do it?"

"It'll kill me if I lose her. I can't live without her. I've tried. I tried to let her go, but it didn't work," he admitted. "I spent twenty-four hours this past spring thinking she was dead, and I went to kill myself. Bella came running to save me, and I almost got _**both**_ of us killed. I'll never leave her again. I was nothing without her. I could barely hunt for all I was missing her. I don't think I could survive losing her again."

They were Romeo and Juliet, Heathcliff and Catherine. Neither could exist without the other, and both were just as tragic.

"You could. Even if you'd lost everything that ever mattered to you, and all that was left of you was a barren plane and a bottomless pit where your heart used to be, you could survive it," Izzy replied in a somber voice.

Somehow he knew she wasn't speaking hypothetically.

"You are a much stronger person than I am, my lady."

"And you were turned much too young," she said sadly.

There was nothing he could say to that because she was probably right.

Somewhere in the house a clock chimed ten. Charlie would be going to bed in an hour or so, and Bella would be expecting him to sneak in through her window. He wondered if Alice had called her to tell her where he was, or if she was wondering why he'd been absent all day. Or was she still angry with him about the car, or his being furious about her telling the dogs their secret? If he went to her house, would the window be closed? Did she even have any concept of how angry she had made him – enough to almost kill a friend? Would she ever understand…?

He couldn't think about it anymore. That way lay madness, and he'd lost it enough for one day, imposed his lunacy on three people he had come to greatly value. He finished off the glass of Blood Vine and gently set it down on the cocktail table. His shirt was clean, his pants were dry, and it was ten o'clock. He really ought to go and leave these women in peace.

"You aren't bothering us," Maria assured him.

"I know, but I've hidden here long enough. I really should go."

"I'll take you back then," Izzy offered.

He grimaced. "I don't really want to Jump…"

"S'ok, I was gonna drive you anyway."

"That isn't necessary."

"It's no problem."

He suspected there was more to it, so he acquiesced and agreed to let her drive him home. Maria hugged him as he stood and brushed back his hair from his face tenderly.

"If we don't see you beforehand, we'll see you in four days," she said.

Four days? Oh. The rehearsal. He'd almost forgotten that Alice had roped Maria into playing Rosamun for the ceremony, and he'd asked Vincent to be his Ring Bearer so the boy wouldn't feel left out.

"Okay. Has Vincent's tux arrived yet?"

"It got here yesterday. It fits fine."

He smiled, although the joy of his upcoming nuptials was dampened by Bella's resentment and her expectations of what would happen afterwards. He felt himself starting to tense up again and quickly turned his mind to other things.

"That's good to hear. I'll see you in four days then."

"At the latest," Maria answered, putting her arm around Vincent's shoulders. The boy waved to him.

"Bye, Edward. See you soon," he said.

"Be safe, both of you."

"And you," Maria replied.

Izzy grabbed her keys and they walked to the garage where Maria's Subaru was parked. He didn't remember his first ride in the vehicle all that well, but he supposed it was nice enough. It was a very practical family car.

He got in the passenger side and leaned his head against the closed window as Izzy backed the car out and turned it down the driveway. He'd thought that she had wanted to talk to him alone, which was why he'd allowed her to drive him, but she was silent during the trip. Then he noticed that _everything_ was silent in his head still, and he realized that she had simply wanted to give him more time alone in his mind.

The rush of gratitude made a lump form in his throat and he couldn't speak. He could only trust that she already knew how thankful he was for the small respite from the voices. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the engine and the wheels on the road, enjoying the blessed peace of having just his own thoughts bouncing around in his head for a little while longer.

He turned to look at her lazily. He was just moving his head to change his perspective on the scenery, but in doing so he saw her eyes. He hadn't noticed it before, probably because he had been too busy going mental, but the tiny veins in the whites of her eyes were dark, almost black, and her scent, always carrying a hint of something _off_, was even more pronounced in the odor of wrongness.

"Your eyes are dark," he said, glad to have something other than the disastrous afternoon to think about.

He saw her jaw clench and her hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter.

"Yeah. It's a side effect of the energies I'm working with. When I do too much, it builds up in my bloodstream."

"And you have to cleanse," he commented absently, remembering the night of the baseball game and the flower seeds Maria had given Izzy to purge toxins from her blood.

"You know about that?"

"I heard Maria saying something during the baseball game," he admitted.

She huffed and muttered something about vampire hearing. He smiled.

"But you'll be okay though?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

For some reason he was reminded of the Black Knight from Monty Python's _Search for the Holy Grail_. _"It's just a flesh wound! Fight me!"_

Both of them smirked.

"I love that movie," she told him.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Sir Robin ran away…" she sang, smiling.

"But… it's a rabbit!" he recited with mock surprise.

"It's got big teeth!"

"God Bless this Holy Hand Grenade…" He snickered. "But those two today were easy, though, weren't they? No Holy Hand Grenades needed." he asked, referring to the ogres he'd killed. _'Just one out of control vampire…'_

Izzy scoffed. "It was a suicide mission for them. They never had a chance against me. I was just toying with them to give them the false hope that maybe they'd get out of there alive, but really… I'm kinda insulted. But it only gives credence to my suspicion that someone is testing us, trying to judge our reaction times and poke for weaknesses."

"Any idea who's behind it?"

"Nope, but I'm sure I'll find out eventually. We're here," she replied, pulling over next to his driveway and parking the car. She left the engine running.

He looked at the narrow track between the trees and seriously debated going back with Izzy. He wasn't sure he was ready to face his family quite yet, and he was torn between what he wanted and what he knew he ought to do. It was getting to be a very familiar feeling.

He was surprised Alice wasn't there to pounce on him the moment they arrived at the mouth of the driveway. Surely she had to have Seen him coming home the moment he left the protection of the shield around Maria and Izzy's house, but there was no sign of her.

"She can't See you yet. I'm feeding her a false vision," Izzy told him, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He startled and stared at her. "You can _do_ that?"

"Not perfectly, and not for very long, but for a little while, yeah. Gives you more time to collect yourself," she answered with her classic "no big deal" shrug.

"You are the most remarkable human being I have ever met," he blurted, astounded.

She smiled at him, a genuine smile. "Well, thank you. You're pretty awesome for a venomous vampire yourself."

"How do you do it? How do you just accept us?" he asked suddenly, surprised by how much he genuinely wanted to know the answer. Bella accepting him was miracle enough, but Izzy and her little family took that acceptance so much further…

"Why? Because you're demons?" she countered, her smile turning wry. "Hon, three-quarters of my friends are demons. Aside from Maria and Vincent, my best friend is a demon."

She sighed and shook her head. "People hear the word demon and they automatically think evil, but that isn't always the case. The vast majority of them want the same things humans do: a good place to live, a purpose in life, someone to share it with. You want those things, don't you?"

"Yes," he readily agreed.

"See? Demons aren't so different from humans." She cocked her head and nodded. "Granted there are a few that are very, very depraved, and I use the word depraved deliberately."

She raised a finger, explaining her point. "Depraved means you never had something. Deprived means you had something and had it taken away. These demons are depraved; they don't know any other way to live. They don't know anything else. There are quite a few individuals out there who believe demons are drawn to humans because we can teach them _another_ way to live. We can show them how to live a better life. A friend of mine even told me that what demons can learn from humans is that _love_ is stronger than _death_."

"Love is stronger than death?" he repeated.

"Yep," she affirmed with complete conviction, as if she knew firsthand what she was taking about. Maybe she did.

The words stopped him, and he had to really think about what she had just said. Could she really be telling him what he thought she was telling him?

"Love. Is stronger. Than death," he said again, tasting the words, daring to hope that they were true.

"You better believe it. Love's the only thing that lasts forever."

How did she always know just what to say? How did she always know just what he needed to hear to comfort him? He got choked up all over again, but he resisted the urge to hug her.

"Thank you," he whispered, putting all of his gratitude in the two words.

"Anytime."

The wry smile was back and he returned it as he got out of the car. He closed the door and leaned against the open window to say goodbye.

"If I don't see you beforehand, I'll see you at the rehearsal," she said.

"Okay."

"And Edward? I promise, everything's gonna be okay. It'll all work out. Trust me."

Coming from her, he had to believe it because she hadn't lied to him yet. "I believe you."

Her smile turned sly, and he saw mischief dancing in her eyes.

"And maybe the next time there's a couple of Level 2's that need to be dealt with, I'll call you. Watching you kill those two Lesser Ogres… Whoo! You were kinda hot back there. All feral and unbridled power. Rrawr," she teased, giving him a mock growl as she flashed an image of him killing the ogres from her point of view, along with her… appreciation of his physical form.

His eyes flew open wide and he stepped away from the car. "You wicked, wicked woman!" he accused, only half serious.

She gave a deep, throaty laugh and put the car in gear. "Hey, I gotta get my kicks in somehow. I'll see you in four days. Be safe, Eddie."

"Don't call me Eddie!" he yelled to her taillights, but he wasn't really angry.

Her laughter echoed in his mind long after she had driven away.

TBC …


	16. Chapter 16

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: This and the next chapter are from Bella's POV. This one is long, the next one is short. There wasn't really any good place to break it. Izzy gets her chance to whack Bella on the head with a clue-by-four.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Sixteen

Bella fiddled with her tiara for the umpteenth time. She knew Alice would scold her if she messed it up again, but her scalp itched where the bobby pin was digging into her skin. She slipped one acrylic-nailed finger through a loop of hair and managed to scratch the irritating spot without dislodging the headpiece. Alice would have done it for her, but Alice was, thankfully, not there.

Per her request, her future sister-in-law had left the dressing room. In half an hour she would be walking down the aisle to become Mrs. Edward Cullen, but for now she was blessedly, mercifully alone. She'd desperately needed the time to herself to mentally prepare for what she was about to do.

_'Find your happy place. Find your happy place. Happy place. Happy place.' _

Edward. Honeymoon. Honeymoon. Edward…

Her racing heart calmed down, but she still felt a single bead of sweat rolling down her back, where she couldn't reach it in the monstrosity of a dress Alice had put her in. Anne of Green Gables. She had no idea how the women at the turn of the century wore these types of dresses every day. Thank God Forks was cool, even in August. If she'd been getting married in Phoenix, she'd have died from heat stroke by now.

She sat at the vanity in the dressing room, studiously avoiding looking in the mirrors. She kept her head down, fingers fiddling with the engagement ring that had been moved to her right hand for the wedding, composing herself.

_"Because the marriage comes first,"_ Esme had explained, slipping her diamond from her left had to the right._ "After the vows, you can put the ring back on your left hand, after the wedding band."_

_'Yeah, whatever,'_ she sighed. _'Just get me through this day.'_

She imagined Alice out there, making last minute preparations and adjustments to ensure that the entire circus went off without a hitch. The addition of Maria as the violinist for the service, and Vincent as the Ring Bearer, hadn't fazed Alice in the least, and the Cullen's new friends had found themselves swept up in Typhoon Alice with the rest of them. Well, Maria and Vincent at least. Izzy had somehow managed to stay out of it. She wished she had been so lucky. Why, oh why, had she agreed to let Alice do this?

The last three weeks had been… interesting. Something had happened on the day Maria, Izzy and Vincent had come to the Cullen's house, and, after that, the three had been frequent guests to the mansion. Something in particular had happened to Rosalie. The beautiful blonde was happier and more peaceful. Edward knew what had happened, but he was keeping secrets again. This time, however, he said he had to keep it because it wasn't his secret to tell, and she had to respect that. There was something different about him too.

Rosalie was just smitten with Vincent, and would bend over backwards to spend time with him. When she found out that he wanted to learn about cars, she'd been ecstatic. Now Vincent could be found playing with Rosalie and Emmett, or helping in the garage while Maria and Esme puttered around the gardens. There were now six different varieties of Blood Vine in the garden by the garage, and numerous exotic additions to the flowerbeds around the house.

The strange, sweet-smelling orchids in her wedding bouquet were also courtesy of Maria, as were the flower arrangements for the service and the reception. She hadn't seen them, but Alice said they were magnificent. Knowing what she knew of Maria's plant weaving talents, she had no doubts that Alice was not exaggerating.

She liked Maria, and Vincent was a great kid. It was almost enough for her to overlook the fact that Vincent's dad was a very scary demon who had looked at her as if she were a bug to be crushed under his boot, or the fact that she had seen the same look on Izzy's face, but not directed at her.

She'd tried to get to know Izzy better because Edward thought so much of her. He'd been spending a lot of time over at Maria and Izzy's house lately, and he had developed a deep respect for the woman. She knew he would be happy if the two of them got along, but Izzy was always on guard, and she treated everyone with cool politeness. When she did laugh or smile, it was with a bitter cynicism that cut more than entertained.

There were times when Bella wondered how someone as open and pleasant as Maria could stand to be around someone so dark and sarcastic, but there was no denying that the two were inseparable, and had been since before Vincent was born. Bella often speculated that they might have been lovers at one time, but she was too afraid to ask Edward his opinion.

Plus, she had repeatedly gotten the impression that Izzy wasn't too happy with her, as if she had done something to offend the woman, or that the woman just didn't like her. But she didn't know why Izzy wouldn't like her because she'd never been anything but friendly. Maybe that was the problem. Izzy knew when people weren't being honest.

She was so busy ruminating and distracting herself with wild conjectures that she didn't realize she wasn't alone anymore until a voice broke the silence and nearly scared her out of her skin.

"I need to explain our wedding present to you," Izzy said.

She yelped and jumped up, but of course her foot caught on the stool and she stumbled, heading down face first for the floor. She never hit. Instead she was caught by an invisible force and pushed back, plopping down on the stool again with a whomp. The impact jarred her teeth, but at least her tiara stayed in place. She glared at the woman, but Izzy just gave her an exasperated look. She was leaning against a tall chest next to the vanity, legs crossed in a semblance of boredom. She was dressed in her customary jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt. Bella hoped she was planning to change for the wedding.

But she didn't know why Izzy was there, and she cast a worried glance at the door. Surely Alice would be there any second…

Izzy chuckled. "She can't hear me. She can't sense me. She can't See me," the woman told her, a sly smile on her face. "But I can _see_ her." She cocked her head toward the door, her smile widening. "It amazes me how they think they can hide. With auras like that, they're crazy if they think someone with Othersight won't know what they are. I still haven't figured out if they're delusional or just that naïve."

"I thought you couldn't read my mind," she accused.

"I can't. You're just that obvious."

She huffed and turned her head away, pretending to look in the vanity mirror to check her make-up. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to give you your wedding present."

"The gift table is down in the reception hall," she countered.

"Yeah, but this one requires a personal touch."

She set down the brush she was using to pretend to touch-up her rouge, and looked at Izzy again.

"So why send you? Why not Maria? You don't even like me."

"Maria's busy. And I wouldn't say I don't like you."

"Why don't you like me? Rosalie doesn't like me either. Is it because I want to be a vampire?" she asked suddenly.

Izzy's booming laughter echoed off the walls of the small room, and she was certain Alice would come running now. She cast another worried glance at the door.

"Not a chance," Izzy said, wiping her eyes. "I'm feeding her a false vision. I just love screwing with her head. It's so much fun. But say that again, I need the laugh."

"You don't like me because I want to become a vampire."

Izzy laughed again. "You haven't got a clue do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The woman gave her a hard look. "It means that I think you are a selfish, self-centered child who thinks she is so mature for her age, when in reality she is staggeringly _immature_. And she is about to tie herself to a demon who was turned when he was seventeen, and who will _always_ be immature. I just think you have a better chance of making it if one of you grows up."

"Edward is plenty mature," she shot back.

"_Edward_ is stuck in the mindset of the teenager who thinks he knows everything. It doesn't help that when he was alive, kids his age were considered adults. They were getting married, going off to war, taking over the family business… But he was still a _child_, and his brain was immature. Now he will be immature for eternity."

"He's done alright for over a hundred years," she sniffed.

Izzy shook her head and chuckled, but it was cutting, sarcastic laughter that grated on Bella's nerves. "Oh honey. Your boy is barely out of diapers. Zolan is 900 years old, and T'eir, T'eir watched the building of Harappa on the banks of the Sarasvati River. A century is nothing to beings who measure their lifetimes in millennia."

She remembered the thin, flaky texture of Aro's onionskin-like flesh and shivered.

"Let me ask you this, how old do you think I am?" Izzy asked her.

She shrugged. "I dunno. Thirty, maybe?"

"I'm thirty-three. Do I look old and decrepit to you? What about Maria? She's thirty-three too. Do you think she's ready for the Oldtimers Home?"

"No…" It was true. Maria was beautiful, much more beautiful than her cynical friend, but Bella wisely kept her mouth shut about that.

"So what's the big deal about turning nineteen?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Edward's been talking to you."

"So what if he has?"

"He shouldn't be discussing private things like that," she countered angrily.

Izzy snorted. "It's not like he has to tell me out loud. I can hear everything he's thinking. Boy hasn't got any idea how to shield."

"Still. It's rude."

Izzy shrugged. "Ask me if I care."

"I won't because I know you don't."

"You're learning."

"Have you always been such a bitch?" she snapped.

"What can I say? I was born bad. But you haven't answered my question. What's the big deal about turning nineteen?"

She looked away. "I just don't want to get too much older than Edward. He'll never be nineteen…"

"And you think he'll love you less if you're a few years older than him physically?"

"It's the principle of the thing," she argued. Edward had repeatedly said that he didn't care if she got old and wrinkly, but _she_ didn't want to get old and wrinkly.

Izzy huffed, but it was a surprised sound, not a derisive one. "I knew you were clueless, but I had no idea it was this bad."

"What do you mean?"

"You really have no concept of what it means to be loved by a demon." Izzy stepped closer to her, pushing off the tall chest and coming to stand beside her. "He _loves_ you. Nothing is ever going to change that. You have no idea what love means to them, how it affects them. It's nothing like the love we feel. That's fleeting, and it can change, even fade away, but the love he has for you will never do that. Humans don't know the meaning of fidelity until they've witnessed the kind of devotion a demon has for his mate, the kind Edward has for you."

Well, she kinda knew that, but it was nice to hear it from someone else.

"Of course he loves me and is devoted to me," she replied. "And I love him. We're going to be together for eternity."

Izzy gave her a derisive snort. "You have no concept of that either. You're _his_. You belong to him. There will be no one else, for either of you, _ever_."

The other woman leveled her with a look, and she blushed, thinking of Jacob. Jacob who wasn't coming back. Jacob whom she owed so much and missed so much. A small part of her heart would always belong to Jacob.

"I know. And I'm okay with that," she answered, saying it aloud so she could convince herself that it was completely true, even if her heart fluttered and her soul recoiled a little bit.

"Are you? Once you do this, you can't back out. And Edward isn't going to change so don't think he will. He will _always_ be crazy overprotective. He will _always_ be an overbearing control freak. _Forever._ You have to accept that. And you can't judge him by human standards. If you did, he'd be labeled a controlling, abusive, psychotic nutjob, but that's how he _is_."

"I know some of my friends think Edward's a dangerous stalker, but I keep telling them they don't know him," she admitted.

"He _is_ a dangerous stalker, but he's _your_ dangerous stalker. He'll kill for you. He _has_ killed for you, and he'll do it again in an instant. You'd better get used to that," Izzy corrected.

She nodded, gulping. She knew very well that Edward would kill to protect her. She was terrified that he and Jacob would come to blows one day, and she didn't know what she would do if one seriously hurt the other.

"He may be my stalker, but I'm his _singer_, his _la tua cantante_. My blood sings to him. He was drawn to me the moment he smelled me." She said it with an air of pride, as if smelling good enough to drive a vampire to nearly commit mass murder was a good thing.

Izzy made an offhand gesture. "Yeah, and he hated you because he had no idea why he suddenly felt like he'd been kicked in the spleen."

She scowled and sat up straighter on the stool. She wanted the woman to leave her alone; she was under enough stress and she didn't need Izzy there taunting her.

"He got over it. Anyway, you said you came here to give me a wedding present."

"Yeah."

Izzy dug into a pocket and pulled out a piece of dried fruit. It was about three times the size of a walnut, and looked to be a dark orange color. She put it down on the vanity.

"What's this?" she asked, blinking at the shriveled up thing.

"It's called a Warrior Peach. Eat it."

It didn't look at all appetizing. Nor was she in the mood to be cooperative. "How about I eat it later? My stomach's kinda queasy right now."

"You should eat it now. It takes about 4 hours to reach full potency."

Judging by Izzy's tone of voice, she had a feeling the woman wasn't going to leave until she had complied. "What's it do?"

"Eat it and I'll tell you."

"Is this gift from Maria too?" she asked shrewdly.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "It's from both of us."

"Okay then." She trusted Maria. If Maria was giving her the fruit, then there had to be a reason, and if it would make Izzy go away... She picked it up and sniffed it. It didn't smell too bad. Closing her eyes, she took a bite.

The center of the fruit was juicy and squirted into her mouth. She swallowed quickly so she wouldn't choke and ate the rest of the peach before it could stain her wedding dress. The taste was slightly bitter and tangy, like an almost ripe nectarine.

"Okay. I ate it. What will happen to me in four hours?"

Izzy had a satisfied look on her face. "You wanna know why it's called the Warrior Peach?"

"Wow me with your vast knowledge."

The satisfied look turned smug. "Warriors eat it before they go into battle. It renders them virtually impervious to harm for twenty-four hours."

"Renders them imperv… Oh. _Oh!_" Her eyes opened wide when she realized what Izzy had just told her. "So tonight…"

"Tonight Eddie can get as frisky as he wants. Unless he's actually trying to hurt you, he won't be able to," the other woman finished with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"I'll be unbreakable," she breathed. She knew Edward's worst fear was hurting her (or killing her) if he gave himself over to his passions.

"You'll have superhuman strength, superhuman endurance. You'll be immune to disease and poisons…" Izzy rattled off.

"Poisons?" she repeated.

"Yeah, so if, God forbid, he bites you, you'll be okay."

Well, that was good to know, although the prospect of Edward losing control and biting her made her shiver.

"But it only works for twenty-four hours," she clarified.

"We're giving you a two month supply. Be sure to take some with you on the honeymoon."

"Two months?" She wouldn't be alive in two months, but for a month perhaps… "Do I take it every day?"

"It's safe enough to take daily for the length of your honeymoon, but the cumulative effects are toxic. Once you get back, pare it down to three times a week with at least a day between and you'll be fine. Eddie'll just have to be gentle on the days you're not on it."

For a moment, Bella was ecstatic. If the gift did what Izzy said it would, then she and Edward could be intimate without fear of him harming her, but the little voice at the back of her head reminded her that Izzy didn't really like her and there had to be a catch.

"If this stuff is so great, how come _you're_ not on it?" she questioned.

Izzy grimaced, a flash of pain crossing her face. "I have other… more permanent modifications that make me a poor candidate for the Warrior Peach. In fact, it would probably kill me."

"What kind of modifications?" her mouth asked before her mind could stop it.

Izzy's face grew closed and her mouth drew tight. "That's none of your business."

She was angry with herself for being nosy, but she took it out on Izzy. "You're right. Just as Edward's and my love life is none of yours, so why would you do this for me?"

"You think I'm doing this for _you?_" Izzy answered, an incredulous tone in her voice.

"Who else would you be doing it for? Edward?" She gasped, suddenly understanding. "You're doing this for _Edward?_ Does he know about this?"

"No, he doesn't. It'll be your little surprise," Izzy countered sarcastically.

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes, catching on. "So I'll stay _**human**_ for him?"

Now she almost wished she could spit out the damn fruit. Maybe she'd try to throw it up later.

Izzy scoffed and shook her head. "I knew you were a selfish bitch, but this… Do you have any idea what your heartbeat and warmth mean to him? Do you have any concept of how much he will miss them once they're gone? Do you know how much he _tortures_ himself knowing that he will have to uphold his end of your bargain? _Do you?_"

She was taken aback by the raw anger in Izzy's voice and she recoiled. "Of course I do, but…"

Izzy snarled and bared her teeth. "Wrong answer, little girl. You haven't got a clue. It _kills_ him to think about it, and a part of him _dies_ every time you ask him to change you.

"Now it's my understanding that your motivations for him turning you are one: you want to be less breakable, two: you want to be more equal to him in ability and three: you don't want to get any older. Am I right?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered, not liking the dangerous look in Izzy's eyes at all.

"The Warrior Peach," She ticked off the list with her fingers. "One: renders you considerably less breakable, two: gives you some strength – not as much as Edward, but it levels the playing field somewhat, and three: for as long as you're on it, you'll age very slowly. You could be on it for decades and not look much older than you do now.

"Now if all of your criteria are already met, is there any compelling reason _**not**_ to stay human?"

She sneered and threw out her trump card. "Even if I wanted to stay human, I can't. If Edward doesn't change me before my birthday, the Volturi are going to kill me."

The statement made Izzy's eyes go wide and take a step back, surprised. Bella breathed a sigh of relief. If she could just stall her long enough, Alice was bound to come.

"The Volturi?" the woman repeated, the angry look on her face disappearing.

"They're these Italian vampires. They…" she started to explain.

"I know who they are. Why will they kill you if Edward doesn't change you?" Izzy interrupted.

"Because I know what they are, and they have laws about humans who know about vampires…"

"You're kidding me." Izzy sounded flabbergasted.

"N-no," she stammered.

Izzy started laughing. "Oh, this is rich. What a bunch of hypocrites!"

"Huh?"

"The Volturi are members of the Western European Interspecies Judicial Tribunal. Two of the seated members are human. The Volturi _**know**_ all about humans who are aware of vampires and demons," Izzy informed.

"What?"

The other woman shook her head. "Oh, I get it. They're using it as an excuse to keep control over the other covens and solidify their power. What bastards. And I kinda liked Aro, too," she said with a frown of disappointment.

"You've _met_ them?" she gasped.

Izzy waved her hand dismissively as if she went into the lair of bloodthirsty, human-eating vampires every day. "Yeah. About five years ago. Maria had an opportunity to attend the Orvieto Musica. Since Volterra's just a hop, skip and a jump from Orvieto, a colleague of Zolan's who knew we were going asked us to drop in to give them a package. I've since figured out that Roumas was playing a big practical joke on Aro, but I didn't know that then."

"So what happened?" she breathed, all of her anger forgotten. She couldn't imagine ever _willingly_ going back into the Volturi's castle.

"Nothing. We had the mark of Zolan on us so they knew we were under his protection and couldn't lay a hand on us. I'm sure Roumas knew that, which was why he sent us just to yank Aro's chain. It was interesting. I remember one really creepy, little girl…"

"Jane?" she prompted, shuddering as she remembered the small female vampire with the cold eyes.

"Yeah, her. She tried to use her mental mojo on me. I was like, 'Good luck, bitch.' The two things I learned really fast were how to block and how to Jump. I got real good at Jumping. Something came at us, I just grabbed Mia and the kid and got us outta there. Then I got a couple more years of training under my belt, and I stopped running and started killing. Now I have a very Zolanesque view of things. If it's a threat to my family, I get rid of it," Izzy answered, then looked at her, puzzled.

"So you really expect them to come after you if Eddie doesn't change you?"

"They were here in June after a whole army of newborn vampires came to try to kill me," she replied. "They were upset I was still human then."

"Huh. Well, after you guys get back from your honeymoon, come see us. We can give you Zolan's mark. If anyone from the Volturi comes to harass you, they'll see the mark and leave you alone. No one goes against Zolan unless they want to die a slow and painful death."

"What's Zolan's mark?" she asked, wondering if it was a talisman or a tattoo or a big 'Z' carved into her chest.

"It's a little spell linked to your aura. Anyone who comes after you will get a warning that you're under the protection of a powerful demon. It's quick and painless."

That didn't sound so hard. She was about to say something when she saw Izzy's head come up and face the door.

"Alice's figured out something's not right," Izzy announced, but there was no anger in her voice, only amusement. "Took her long enough. Besides, it's ten minutes to show time."

She relaxed, thankful that help was on the way, but the conversation had taken such a bizarre turn that she'd almost forgotten how angry she was. Izzy soon reminded her, however.

"Think about what I said, okay? About staying human for a while. It'd mean a lot to Edward if he didn't have to turn you right away."

Put like that, it sounded like she was being the unreasonable one. She bit her lip.

"And tonight… He won't believe you about the Warrior Peach until you prove it to him, so I'd throw him to the floor a couple of times just to get your point across. But that's just me. See you at the service. Later."

Izzy blipped out of sight moments before Alice opened the dressing room door.

"Bella, is everything alright?" her future sister-in-law asked.

"Yeah."

She saw Alice take a sniff. "Izzy was here."

She smiled. Nothing got past a vampire's nose. "Yeah, she was… umm… giving me a wedding present."

"Oh?" Alice asked, looking at her. Bella waited. She knew the moment Alice Saw because her eyes opened very, very wide. "Oh… _**OH!**_ Oh, Edward is going to be so _happy!_"

"Please! Please, no details and don't tell Edward!" she begged, not wanting Alice to tell her anything she had Seen about her and Edward on their wedding night. She was blushing already just thinking about it.

"My lips and mind are sealed. I'll recite the Gettysburg Address in Cantonese all afternoon if I have to. C'mon, are you ready? It's almost time! Oh, you look so perfect. Edward is going to owe me forever for this!"

She gulped and gritted her teeth as Alice took her hand to drag her from the room. It was time to marry Edward.

TBC …


	17. Chapter 17

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: This chapter and the next are the honeymoon scenes. They get pretty steamy, but I do believe they are solidly within the M rating. If you disagree, please tell me BEFORE you alert the SysAdmins and give me a chance to fix it. Please. Thank you.

The songs I refer to are Loreena McKennitt's 'Dark Night of the Soul' and Tim McGraw's 'She's My Kind of Rain,' both I feel are very appropriate Bella-Edward songs. You can find the lyrics on-line.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Seventeen

Bella sighed and brushed the last of the hairspray out of her hair as she tried to quell the nervous butterflies in her stomach. She had to be careful or she would snap the brush in two so she set it down gently on the counter, hoping it was gently enough.

Once the Warrior Peach had started to take effect, she'd gotten a firsthand look at how Edward must feel all the time, trying to make sure he didn't break anything by grabbing something to quickly or too tightly. She already broken a doorknob at the reception, but, thankfully, she'd been able to use her clumsiness as an excuse. She'd just said that she had tripped and fallen against the door, and no one had questioned it. That was odd because after the fruit had started working, she'd felt remarkably light on her feet and hadn't lost her balance once. No one but Alice had seemed to notice.

Alice who beamed at her every time they met eyes. Alice who knew the truth about what was happening. She'd been giving Alice curious glances all night, and her new sister kept giving her the thumbs-up. Everything was go. That was good to know.

At some point during the reception, Alice had pulled Edward aside and explained that the reason why she was blocking him was because she didn't want to leak any wedding night details. Bella knew the moment comprehension hit his face because his eyes had opened wide and he'd ducked his head, embarrassed. But the little white lie had gone a long way towards making Edward relax.

Looking back on the afternoon and evening, it was mostly a blur. She remembered the ceremony and Edward's voice as he choked on the vows. She'd choked too, but not because of nerves. She still couldn't believe she was _married_ at eighteen. The wedding band he had slipped on her finger felt like a shackle, but she was trying to be happy for his sake. He'd been so ecstatic all evening that she hadn't wanted to disappoint him.

At the ceremony, everyone cried, even Charlie as he lifted her veil to give her away, and her mother must have gone through an entire box of Kleenex. She'd never been so embarrassed in all her life to hear all the soft sobbing, and Maria's playing hadn't helped either, the beautiful sound of the violin bringing an almost otherworldly feel to the service. Vincent had looked cute, though, all serious and stiff as he stood holding the ring pillow, but it had all been too much.

The reception was better. The band had been remarkably good, and the guests had appeared to be enjoying themselves. But of course, no one could throw a party like Alice, and she'd really outdone herself this time. There were a few memorable moments, including Emmett's Best Man toast, full of thinly veiled sexual references, but the most memorable had been after the wedding dances and the obligatory father-daughter, mother-son dance. Thankfully, the Warrior Peach had started to kick in by then, and she'd made it through without falling on her face.

After the last strains of the song had faded, and she and Charlie were stepping away from each other, both red-faced and awkward, the band had relinquished the stage to Maria, Izzy and Esme for a special performance. The three had taken their places, Maria looking lovely in her black velvet off-the-shoulder dress and her mother-in-law resplendent in her beaded gown. Even Izzy had looked nicer than usual in a dark blue pantsuit. She'd borrowed an acoustic guitar from one of the band members and had sat down next to Maria in a folding chair positioned on the stage while Esme took the mike.

The song Esme sang in an amazingly beautiful voice was so moving and so powerful that everything stopped, even the servers who had been buzzing around the room bring food and clearing plates stood still to listen to her mother-in-law sing. The lyrics were so lovely and so touching that she'd almost burst into tears herself for its perfection. Later she would learn that the song was called '_Dark Night of the Soul_' by some Celtic singer named Lorrena McKennitt, and that the performance had been _**Izzy's**_ idea. That had shocked her. She hadn't even known Izzy could play an instrument, let alone perform on stage.

After the song was over, the spell broke, and the reception returned to chaos, but the words had stayed with her, echoing softly in her mind, as did the words of Tim McGraw's _She's My Kind of Rain_ – sung by the band, and also requested by Izzy, the lyrics oddly appropriate for Forks in particular. Of course it was cloudy and rainy on her wedding day, but the photographer was a local and used to dealing with the unique weather of the Pacific Northwest.

After the circus was all over, Alice had taken her to a large, empty room and helped her get out of her dress. It would be cleaned and hermetically stored while she and Edward were on their honeymoon. She changed into a comfortable skirt and blouse, then got into the Volvo with her new husband for the drive to Seattle.

Before they left, Alice assured her that she had packed enough Warrior Peach for the honeymoon. She'd said it with a laugh. Apparently, Izzy had appeared just as Alice was heading for the gift table and handed her a separate, white bag with enough of the fruit to supply her for the duration of her trip. Maria had also included a couple of pods for a dwarf variety of Blood Vine designed for small areas and apartments that sprouted within twenty-four hours and produced pods in forty-eight; all they had to do was put the seeds in water.

Now they were ensconced in an opulent suite at the historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel, complete with complementary chocolate covered strawberries and a monstrous king-sized bed, and she was in the bathroom presumably making herself ready for her husband. A nervous virgin hiding from her bridegroom before presenting herself for deflowering. Or at least, that was what she was certain Edward was thinking. His worried look as she slipped from his kisses to excuse herself told her that, and she could still feel his eyes staring at the closed bathroom door.

She knew he thought he was being clever. Since the wedding had been at twilight, the reception hadn't ended until nearly midnight. Add the 140 mile trip to Seattle, and it was almost 2am by the time they got to the hotel, even with Edward's insane driving. Their flight left at eleven that morning, so they had precisely nine hours before they had to be getting on a plane to… she still didn't know where. She was sure he was counting on the stress of the day exhausting her and, perhaps, making her too tired to insist they attempt lovemaking now, but he wasn't counting on her determination, and he certainly wasn't counting on Maria and Izzy's gift.

Far, far from being tired, she was more than ready. In fact she was feeling invincible. Unbreakable. Now she just had to prove it to Edward so they could get down to business.

Taking a deep breath, she gave herself a final once over in the mirror, adjusted the straps of the satin and lace nightgown she had put on, and opened the bathroom door.

Edward was waiting. He'd removed his tuxedo jacket, vest and bowtie, and was now sitting on the edge of the bed, white shirt open revealing his thin undershirt, his bare feet sunk into the plush carpet. His eyes opened wide when he saw her, then turned hungry and longing. She shivered under the heat of his gaze and moved towards him.

He stood abruptly and was in front of her faster than she could see him move, hands on her bare arms, face inches from hers.

"I have a confession to make," he blurted.

It wasn't what she expected to hear. "Huh? What have you done?" she asked, suspicious.

"I felt I'd better tell you, just in case. I know you won't like it, but I needed the assurance…"

He was cute when he was tongue-tied, but she was losing patience. "Edward!"

"Carlisle is here. He's in the suite at the opposite end of the hall," he confessed, then rushed on when she was too stunned to speak. "He won't be listening in specifically, but… I wanted him here… just in case. If I start to slip, I can call him and he can be here in time to stop me."

She stared at him and he ducked his head, not meeting her eyes. "Or we… we could play it safe and…"

"Edward."

He stopped and gave her a shy, guilty look. She scowled. He thought he was so smart. He was sure she wouldn't want to go through with it if she thought her father-in-law would be listening in, but she was about to turn the tables completely upside down on him, and her irritation gave her the impetus to do what she did next.

"Edward," she said more gently, and she could tell that the tone of her voice confused him. "You know that I love you. I love you completely and for eternity, and I would never, ever want to cause you pain or distress."

"Of course, my love. I know."

"So I want you to know that what I am going to do now is in no way meant to punish you or hurt you.

His brow furrowed with confusion and she almost burst out laughing.

"You can't hurt me, Bella, at least not physically."

She smiled and stepped closer. What had Izzy suggested that she do? Throw him to the floor a couple of times? She doubted that she would need to do it more than once.

She placed her hands squarely on the planes of his chest, and he closed his eyes in bliss as she stroked his skin through the thin cotton of the undershirt. Her smile turned sly. He wasn't suspecting a thing. All she had to do was judge her newfound strength enough not to break anything.

"Bella…" she heard him whisper.

Setting her jaw, she shoved him back, and she was astounded when he actually moved. Never before had she ever been able to budge him an inch, and it thrilled her to see him hurtling backwards, landing heavily on the floor and sliding a good six feet across the carpet. Thank god it didn't rip or she'd have had a hell of a time explaining to the hotel staff how it had happened.

Before he could recover from his surprise, she was on him, straddling his hips and taking his wrists, shoving them above his head the way he had done to her so many times, and _holding them there_.

It was such an incredible rush seeing him so shocked. His eyes were as wide as saucers, especially when he tried to move his wrists and found that it took effort to do so, and his mouth was gaping open in amazement. She smiled wickedly. Turnabout was so much fun. It emboldened her; made her feel powerful and aggressive in a way she would never have dared to be before.

"Bella! What…?" he gasped.

"Say hello to Maria and Izzy's wedding present," she replied, grinning like a fool. "We have nine hours. What would you like to do?"

Then she bent down, still pressing his wrists to the floor, and claimed his lips in a searing kiss.

TBC …


	18. Chapter 18

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: Another steamy chapter. Again I believe that it is solidly M-rated. If you disagree, again, please talk to me FIRST. Thank you.

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Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Eighteen

It wasn't that easy. As soon as his surprise wore off, Edward called a full stop to her advances and proved that he was still the stronger of the two of them; a fact she could tell relieved him greatly. He took her hands and sat up, holding their palms together as he began demanding answers. She did her best, but she only knew what Izzy had told her about the Warrior Peach, and she couldn't answer his concerns about how it worked and what, if anything, it would do to her body.

He'd refused to do anything further until he'd had a chance to talk to Maria, and she'd been about to throw him through the suite's window when she opted for calling Maria instead. Edward hadn't wanted her to disturb them since it was almost 3 am, but she was not going to have her wedding night ruined by his paranoia. She was surprised and embarrassed when Izzy answered after the second ring, and even more mortified when Izzy told her they had been waiting for her call. Apparently, Alice had given them a heads up.

Her ire and embarrassment increased as she listened to Edward grill Maria for the next twenty minutes, her face getting redder and redder, and her scowl getting deeper and deeper. She was reconsidering her decision not to throw him through the window, when he finally hung up the cell phone and faced her. Their eyes met, hers sullen and angry, his surprised and then turning predatory. The look made her gasp and shiver as his mouth tugged up into his half-smile, and she forgot she was supposed to be mad at him.

A throaty growl escaped his lips as he crouched, and she squeaked as he pounced, grabbing her about the waist and sending them both flying. They landed on the bed with a whomp, him on top of her, his mouth seeking hers in a series of nearly desperate kisses, and she forgot all about being upset with him as he sent her into raptures…

88888888

Bella lay quietly, half-asleep, half in blissful lethargy. Edward was snuggled beside her, his head nestled against the softness of her breasts, his ear near to her heart. He'd been there for an hour, basking in the afterglow of their First Time, and she knew he was listening to her heartbeat.

She knew he did it, listened to her heart, sometimes she swore he knew what it was doing better than she did, but she never realized how _much_ he listened. He'd once called her pulse the metronome of his life, and she had thought he was just being overly romantic, but now she wasn't so sure. Izzy's words about her heartbeat and warmth were starting to take on new meanings, and she began to feel guilty about making Edward so unhappy.

Maybe she was being immature and selfish. Edward had given her everything he could, including himself and all the tangled messiness being involved with a vampire entailed. Yet she demanded he give her more, demanded that he give her the things she knew he did not want to give.

It was selfish, and childish, a petty game to make him prove to her how much he loved her. And Izzy had seen right through it. Had she been that transparent? She didn't know, and it irritated her to think about it. She'd always acknowledged that she was selfish when it came to Edward – especially when it came to Edward – but to have it put under such a scrutinizing microscope was unnerving. No wonder Izzy didn't like her.

But at least she had been right about some things. She'd always believed that Edward could do anything, and he had proved to her that, even though he was a virgin himself, he was an amazing lover. She smiled, remembering how wonderful it had been.

She was achy, but not sore. Tired, but not exhausted. The Warrior Peach probably had something to do with that, and she was grateful, although someone couldn't be as klutzy as she was and not be virtually immune to physical pain. But she had been a little nervous because all of the trashy romances she'd skimmed had said that the first time hurt, and often there was a little blood as well when the maidenhead was broken. Hers had broken while Edward was preparing her, using his fingers, and she'd watched him lick the blood slowly from his marble skin.

She should have been disgusted, but instead it had been incredibly arousing, especially when he'd wrapped his lips around his index finger and sucked. Watching him do it had made her tremble all over, but then he'd used his mouth in even more wild and spectacular ways and made her forget any residual reluctance she may have been feeling.

By the time the actual moment of truth arrived, she had already climaxed twice and was completely relaxed and ready for him. Still he'd taken even more care with her by using a lubricant to help ease the way. The gel had "warming" properties that created a mild exothermic reaction when exposed to air, and Edward had chosen it in an attempt to offset his lack of body heat. She also suspected that he'd chosen it for himself as well because he seemed to enjoy the sensation on his sensitive skin.

All care and consideration aside, their first coupling had been awkward and tentative. Edward had been so gentle and careful, not because he still feared killing her, but because he'd wanted to be tender and loving to his virgin bride. He'd been everything she had dreamed he would be, and she could honestly say she couldn't have wanted anything to be different – even the parts where Edward was uncertain and struggled a bit with his own desires. He'd made himself wait until she had been satisfied before taking his pleasure, proving once again that his control was astounding. She shivered at the memory.

"Cold, love?" his dreamy voice asked.

They were still naked, bodies pressed together under the covers. He had wanted to wrap her in the blanket to protect her from his cold flesh, but she had wanted to feel him against her so she had refused.

"No. Just… remembering."

He lifted his head, allowing his nose to brush teasingly across her breast, and gave her a sly, heated look.

"Fond memories, I hope."

She smiled. "Oh, yes."

His lips curled into the half-smile she loved so much and she smiled back, rolling a little to face him. He buried his nose in the valley between her breasts and she felt him inhale.

"You smell so good," she heard him sigh. "I love you so much. So very much. I didn't know it was possible to love anyone as much as I love you."

"I love you too."

His hands started to wander, sending little shivers of delight up and down her spine, and she felt him shift that much closer. She arched her back as his tongue began to trace lazy circles on her sensitive skin.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice husky. She'd never heard anything so sexy in all her life.

"I'm fine. Great even. Better than great."

His hand slipped down to the juncture of her thighs, questing. "Sore?"

"Not really. A little achy, but nothing I can't handle."

His hand stilled and started to pull away, but she grabbed it and put it back. "If you stop, I _will_ hurt you," she threatened.

His throaty chuckle went right to the muscles of her lower abdomen, making them fist and clench.

"I don't want to cause you pain," he whispered, his fingers moving in slow, obliging circles.

"You didn't, but this is part of it, isn't it? I mean, I've never had anything quite so… big inside me before. It's understandable that it would take me a few times to… to get used to it."

"So I'm big, am I?" he teased, slipping his hand under her knee.

"Not too big. You're a perfect fit."

She didn't wait for him to pull her leg over his hip, but did it herself, sliding her thigh across his cold skin until they were both rolling, and she found herself straddling him. She took his free hand and lifted it above his head, pressing it to the mattress. She left the other where it was, working its magic. She felt him test the strength of her grip tentatively, his face belying his wonder at the strange turn of events.

"Amazing that you can do that. I must do something extra special nice for Izzy and Maria. This gift is…" He stopped, at a loss for words.

She smiled at him and bent down slowly to kiss his lips. "I know. And I have enough packed to last the entire honeymoon."

He moaned into her mouth and urged her to release his wrist. She obliged him and soon his hand was exploring more of her soft places, touching her reverently as if she were a deity to be worshipped. A moment later she was flipped onto her back, their positions reversed, but she didn't mind in the least, and she started panting as his mouth joined the assault on her sanity.

"You are a vision. I am the luckiest man on earth."

_'You're lucky? I must be charmed…'_

It was the last coherent thought she had before he drove her out of her mind.

88888888

The second time was better. Both of them knew what to expect, and Edward was definitely more confident and self-assured. He still used the warming gel to make things easier, but she wasn't sure they'd really needed it. It was a pleasant sensation for both of them nonetheless, so she had no reason to complain.

She had slept afterwards, lulled by the hummed melody of her lullaby and Edward's gentle caresses. When she woke, he was curled around her, maximizing the amount of bare flesh pressed against bare flesh, and practically thrumming with happiness.

"Morning," he cooed, lips against her hair.

"Mmmph. Morning. What time is it?"

"Almost six. We have a couple of hours yet before we have to think about heading to the airport."

She licked the sweaters off her teeth and rolled. He moved with her, unwilling to release his hold on her, and they came to rest with her on her back and his head on her chest, one arm wrapped around her possessively. She would have enjoyed it if she hadn't felt so clammy and sticky.

"I need a shower," she mumbled.

Edward didn't sweat, but she certainly did, and he'd had her sweating – and writhing, and begging… She cut off that train of thought quickly, but not before he inhaled sharply and gave a little growl.

"I could take one with you…" he offered suggestively.

"Wouldn't that negate the whole purpose of getting clean?"

"Oh, you'd get clean… eventually."

"I think I've created a monster," she sighed.

"I was always a monster. Now I'm a…" He stopped, halting on the word. That was okay; she could say it for him.

"Horny monster?"

He huffed, his breath cool on her increasingly heated skin. "You will be the death of me, Bella."

She wanted to say that he would be the death of her, but something stopped her from saying it because she realized that it would not have been well received. She knew Edward did want her with him for eternity; he'd told her as much, but she also knew that Izzy was right. Having to turn her right away was killing Edward, and knowing she was the cause of his agony made her unhappy.

She'd started thinking about what Izzy had told her even before the wedding. Once her anger had cooled, and she'd been able to consider the other woman's words with more objectivity, she found herself having to look at her motivations and question what she really wanted. She had continued her thinking at odd intervals all during the reception (especially after the Warrior Peach had started working), on the trip to Seattle when she insisted Edward concentrate on the road because he was driving 120 miles an hour, and all during the quiet times after their lovemaking.

She'd always known how much Edward loved her heat and heartbeat, but Izzy had really shined a spotlight on it, and now she was noticing how he would gravitate towards her warmth, how he would set his breathing in time with hers and lightly tap out the rhythm of her pulse with a toe or fingertip when he was resting. He did it all unconsciously, and she really hadn't paid attention until now.

"What are you thinking?" His voice was curious, but also edged with concern.

"I was feeling guilty about the mess we made out of these sheets," she replied.

It was true. Parts of the linens were damp from her sweat, and soiled in places, and, of course, everything reeked of sex.

She was surprised to learn that Edward's scent got stronger when he was aroused, and now the sheets smelled of him. She wondered if she could sneak them out in her suitcase just so she would have them for posterity, but then she decided that was silly because she had the source of the smell right beside her, and she was certain he would be happy to imbue more sheets with his perfume if that would make her happy.

He laughed and she felt it rumbling through her own chest because they were still pressed together. "I am sure the housekeeping staff has cleaned worse. We didn't even get any blood on them."

No, because he'd licked it all off before it had a chance to spill. She shivered and Edward took another deep breath, purring.

"Now what are you thinking? I know they're wicked thoughts because your scent changed again."

She blushed, making him chuckle. "I was just remembering how you… licked your fingers that time."

"Ahh," he replied, and the ahh lowered into a groan. "You tasted so good. Better than I remembered. But your skin tastes just as good. I could kiss and lick you all day."

The way he said the word "lick" made a rush of heat surge through her body and she shuddered. Edward crooned, flicking his tongue out to swipe her flesh, and she frowned. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing. She moaned. She should have known her vampire would be orally fixated.

"Is there anything you would like me to lick now?" he asked, his voice low and sultry.

And he swore that _she'd_ be the end of _him!_ She was coming undone, and he hadn't even done anything but talk to her yet.

"Do we have time?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Our flight leaves at 11:35. It's exactly 6:02 now. We have five hours. I think that's plenty of time."

She gulped as he slid on top of her, catching his wicked grin as he moved down the length of her body until his mouth found its prize and she forgot her own name.

He pleasured her like he'd been doing it all of his life, but did not take his own pleasure until they were in the shower together. There under the hot spray of the water, he proved to her that every Hollywood shower sex scene she'd ever watched was a load of bunk, because not only was it incredibly awkward, if her vampire lover hadn't been able to completely support her weight as he pressed her against the shower stall, she would have slipped and broken a leg. Not that the encounter wasn't enjoyable, and not that she hadn't loved watching him come completely unglued, but if she had to vote for a position she hadn't especially liked, that would have been it. He promised to make it up to her later, after they had arrived wherever they were going. She _still_ didn't know.

But it was in the afterglow of their latest joining when she made her final decision on the subject she'd been thinking about since Izzy had given her the Warrior Peach. During their coupling in the shower, Edward had let some things slip in the throes of his passion, broken words that had spilled from his lips that she wasn't even certain he knew that he was saying, but she'd heard them: murmured praises of her warmth, throaty admissions of how she was making him feel, all gasped in time with his labored breathing. They had helped her make her choice.

He'd ordered room service before they got into the shower, and it arrived while she was drying off. She came out of the bathroom to find him lounging lazily on the bed with only his jeans on, examining the array of finger foods he had selected from the hotel menu. The leftover chocolate covered strawberries were on the tray as well.

"What's all this?" she asked, moving to sit next to him on the bed.

"Breakfast in bed, my love."

She reached for something that looked like a puff pastry, but he gently slapped her hand away.

"What?" she complained, snatching back her hand.

"This is a lover's meal. That means I feed you," he informed, fixing her with an adoring look.

"Oh."

As she watched intently, he picked up the puff pastry and offered it to her. She decided to be wicked and caught the end of his fingers as she ate the morsel, making sure to lick the skin. She watched his nostrils flare and his eyes grow dark.

"Bella…" he moaned, half-warning.

"Mmmm. Delicious," she purred, ignoring the implied threat. "More please. I'm very hungry. It appears that I've worked up quite an appetite."

He growled, but complied, feeding her a strawberry. She was good and kept her tongue in her mouth, but she wasn't always good as he fed her the meal. Sometimes she was naughty and would lick his fingers or scrape them with her teeth. By the time she was finished eating, they were both squirming, but they didn't have time to play if they wanted to make their flight. Besides, after three times she was starting to feel it, Warrior Peach or no Warrior Peach.

But there was something she wanted to tell him before they left, something she felt she needed him to know. She needed to give him the gift he had earned, the one she knew he wanted more than anything in the world.

"Edward…" she began, and her tone of voice made him snap up his head and pay attention. "I've been thinking."

"Yes, my love?"

"With Maria giving me the Warrior Peach and all, and… how it makes me… more like you…" She trailed off, fiddling with the plush bedspread.

"Maria explained that it enhances strength and endurance for a limited period of time," he said warily.

"Twenty-four hours," she corrected. "And it slows down my aging process."

"She might have mentioned something like that," he admitted, his voice guarded.

He was listening but he was tense, his hands balled into fists. Did he expect what she was going to say?

"I was thinking… if it was alright with you… and as long as the Volturi didn't become a problem… that I might stay human and keep taking the Warrior Peach for a while. Izzy said I could be on it for years and years and not have any negative side effects."

There was silence for a good twenty seconds, and she was almost afraid to look at him. She was starting to get upset when she heard him sob, and she glanced up to see him crying without tears, his face beatific.

"Oh Bella. Thank you."

He pushed aside the empty serving tray, sending the plates cascading to the carpet with a crash, and reached for her, kissing her face, her lips, her hair.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," he whispered over and over, peppering her with kisses.

"We'll need to see Maria when we get back. I only have a two month supply," she warned.

"I will plant you a whole garden, my love. Oh Bella, you've made me the happiest man on earth. Thank you."

She put a restraining hand on his chest. "I'm not just doing this for you, y'know. I'm doing it for Charlie and my mom too. I didn't want to say good-bye to them."

He grinned a 5000-megawatt grin and took her face in his hands. "Of course. My Bella, my amazing, beautiful miracle always putting others before herself. I don't have words to express how happy I am right now."

He couldn't cry tears of joy, so she cried for him, letting him see the tears fall and kiss them away.

The decision was a relief. There would be no biting or blood loss or three days of agony. There would be no breaking of the treaty or war between the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves. There would be no reason to keep away from her friends and family for fear that she would kill them. Her heart would continue beating, and her blood would stay warm.

She hadn't realized how she had truly felt about it until she didn't have to make the choice. She'd been scared and worried and dreading the change, but now her way was clear and she felt light, as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, Edward."

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can't tell you…"

"It's okay. I understand." And she was surprised to find that she did.

She gave him a happy smile, laughing a little bit as the tension that had been coiling in the back of her mind for months released and disbursed, and he drew her to his chest, expressing his gratitude through touch. Overcome, he pressed her to the bed and locked his lips with hers.

They ended up almost missing their flight.

TBC …


	19. Chapter 19

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: Okay, honeymoon is over. You will notice that I did not say where they went or how long they were gone. We don't know those answers yet so I left it purposefully vague. Just assume that they went somewhere nice for at least two weeks, if not more, and they had a good time. If the wedding was before Aug 13, then it would've had to been the weekend of Aug 2 or Aug 9. Dartmouth Fall semester starts Sept 24. They would've had anywhere from 6 to 7 weeks before they would have to be in NH for classes.

Also, I've been notified that a number of people have put PDH on their Favorite Story lists. I'm so glad you are enjoying it, but I do like to hear from my readers, so if you could pop me a line or two in a review, that would be great. I have all but the epilogue of PDH written. I intend to have it done very soon. There will be 23 chapters in all, including the epi.

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Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Nineteen

Edward grinned at his new wife and grabbed their luggage from the baggage claim. The flight hadn't been terribly long, but they were both glad to be out of the plane. It was hard to be in such close proximity and be able keep their hands off each other. Bella was all for joining the Mile High Club, but he'd been able to resist her advances – barely. He was so glad when the captain had announced their descent into Sea-Tac. Bella threatened to "punish" him for ruining her fun, and he'd never looked forward to punishment so much in his life. So much so, that he was seriously considering not going back to Forks and renting a hotel room for the duration of their time in Washington.

There would be no privacy at either of their homes, and Bella had already expressed her concerns about intimacy in a house full of vampires. It was bad enough that she had made him call Carlisle's suite at the Fairmont and tell him to go before she would allow him to deflower her. He didn't want to curb their sex life, but he knew full well that she wasn't comfortable making love when she thought they had witnesses. She was especially concerned about Emmett because she knew he loved to tease. Her fears were justified because he was already imagining the lewd comments his brother would make. He would have to soundly beat Emmett in a wrestling match in order to earn his silence; something that would not be easy to do, but that he would devote a great deal of energy towards in order to keep his wife happy. Having her tell him that there would be no lovemaking until they had moved to New Hampshire was not an option.

Classes would be starting for Dartmouth's fall semester soon, and he intended to have them moved to New Hampshire within the next few weeks. He was already casing out apartments close to campus, and he intended to show Bella the list of suitable choices after he had whittled it down to places _**he**_ considered acceptable. Most prospective freshmen would have had to sign their leases months ago, but his money bought him privilege, and even if a suitable apartment could not be found, he was certain that it would be easy enough to purchase a small house or condo.

He was running over scenarios in his mind, entertaining himself with memory and anticipation as they navigated their way through the airport. Someone from his family was supposed to meet them, but he wasn't sure who, then the air vent blew Bella's scent in his face as they walked, and his whole body came alive with love and want.

Oh, yes, hotel room. Now.

He was amazed by his own desires. He'd always known that Bella would be brazen, but he'd never expected himself to match her so willingly. Now that he had experienced what it was like to join with her, to have her in almost every way possible, he couldn't get enough. He was hoping his libido would calm down once they started college, otherwise they'd both flunk out. And Bella wasn't helping.

The Warrior Peach, miracle fruit that it was, gave her such power and endurance that she didn't need more than two or three hours of sleep in a night, and sometimes she didn't need to sleep at all. He had no words to express his gratitude to Izzy and Maria for their gift, and he fully intended to lay himself prostrate at their feet and declare eternal servitude just as soon as he saw them again. They had given him everything he had ever wanted, and done so without him ever having to ask. He would owe them for eternity.

He made giving her the fruit a daily ritual with her eating the peach at about the same time every night. They had discovered that the effects of the fruit wore off slowly after the twenty-four hours of maximum effect was up, so if she didn't take the next dose right away, it wasn't a big deal. Still, he made it a production to feed it to her, offering it to her in different ways, usually followed by lovemaking afterward. Last night he had offered it to her nestled in the center of a fragrant Star Lily, and then used the soft petals to brush across her skin as he worshipped her body.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye to catch her glancing at him. She caught him looking and blushed. The sweet flush of her blood under the surface of her skin made his whole body vibrate with need.

Sea-Tac had an airport hotel, didn't it? Was there any reason to go anywhere? He could just drag her to the reservation desk, and they could be upstairs in a room within, what? Twenty minutes? He could wait that long… maybe.

He was making plans, about to reach for his cell phone and call Carlisle when Bella gasped and came to an abrupt halt beside him.

"Bella? What?"

She was staring, wide-eyed at something ahead of them, and he turned his head to follow her line of sight, searching for what she had seen. His eyes glanced over someone who looked like Alice, but couldn't possibly be Alice because she was standing in a sunbeam. It was just his luck that the day they had returned to Seattle was one of the rare sunny ones.

_'You hoo, Edward. Over here,'_ Alice's mindvoice called.

"Alice…" his wife breathed, her voice full of disbelief.

He turned and looked at the small woman in the sunbeam again, and Alice's face grinned back at him. The woman waved.

_'Alice?'_ he thought. But it couldn't be Alice. Alice sparkled in sunlight like he did. Not only was this doppelganger not sparkling, she had a _**tan, **_not a very dark tan, but a tan nonetheless. It gave her enough color so that she blended in perfectly with the human crowd.

"Oh. My. God," he heard Bella say as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the figure.

The figure pouted and looked at him sadly as he gaped at her. He stopped just short of the sunbeam, and his sister danced forward to meet them.

"Don't you like my tan, Edward?" she asked. Her voice was despondent, but her eyes were swirling with mischief.

"Alice? Alice what _have you done?_" he demanded.

Her delighted giggle irritated him to no end, and he growled at her.

"Best let him off the hook," Jasper's voice said. "He's about to lose it."

He whipped his head around to see Jasper, sporting a similar tan and looking like one of those young jocks who spent all their days surfing.

"What is going on!"

"Izzy got Carlisle a meeting with someone on the administrative council for non-humans in Seattle," his sister answered, grinning. "I went along and Maria took me shopping. Did you know there was an underground in the Underground? There's an entire marketplace just for… people like us! It was amazing. Anyway, I got this sunless tanner made for those with similar skin conditions to ours. One application lasts a month."

She paused for breath, but his mouth was still gaping open with shock.

"Rosalie and Emmett left for The Riviera yesterday," she added.

In the midst of his surprise, the words brought him great relief. There would be no need to wrestle Emmett because Emmett would not be there. Small wonders would never cease.

"Wow. Um. Wow," Bella stammered.

"Anyway, I want to hear all about your trip!" Alice admitted excitedly. "I promise I wasn't Looking! Much!"

"Alice!" he seethed as his wife blushed again.

She took their bags from his nerveless fingers and grabbed his arm, pulling him along in a daze.

"The car's this way," she tittered, and he could hear her mental howls of laughter echoing in his head.

He snarled, coming back to himself, and yanked his arm out of her grip.

"So what happened at Carlisle's meeting?" Bella asked, and he was glad because he was still having trouble forming sentences.

"Oh, nothing much. The woman gave Carlisle a stack of forms to fill out if he would like to register us. Apparently, they keep a census of all the… different people living in an area. If we're registered, we can take advantage of the services they offer. For instance, they have a special branch just for dealing with dangerous threats."

"If that's so, why didn't they do anything about Victoria?" he complained.

"They don't get too many vampires, least of all vampires that want to raise an army of newborns. And they did do something. Once they realized what was going on, they sent a clean-up crew, and they got about half of Victoria's army."

"So there were more than twenty newborns?" Bella gasped.

Alice nodded as they crossed the lot in the parking garage to where Carlisle's Mercedes was waiting.

"Yes. According to Carlisle, their records said they disposed of eighteen of them before the killings abruptly stopped. Carlisle was actually able to give them some insight as to what was going on. They had no idea about using newborns as an army either. He said they were grateful for the information."

They were at the car and Alice was putting the luggage in the trunk.

"Is Carlisle going to register us?" he questioned as they got into the car. He and Bella took the back, which was fine because he wanted to hold her.

"He's thinking about it. The problem is Forks falls somewhere between the jurisdictions of Seattle and Olympia so he isn't sure which would be best to be listed under. But he says there are advantages to being registered. For example, if one of us falls off the wagon, they have departments set-up to deal with things like that. They can cover-up evidence, help settle the locals, even help us relocate if we have to. Or if someone recognizes us and tries to expose us, they have people that can deal with that too."

Well, that was… helpful. And he was sure Carlisle felt having new allies was advantageous.

"What does that mean for Sam's Pack? The treaty says that they won't expose you to the White Man. What will happen to them of they break the treaty?" Bella asked.

He frowned. Trust his wife to think about what it would all mean for the dogs. He sighed.

"Oh, the Quileute Werewolves are a special case. They're protected by The Indigenous Species Act. Nothing will happen to them," Alice replied.

He saw Bella relax when she found out that the dogs were safe, and felt her lean against him. Her hand moved dangerously close to a sensitive part of his body and he tensed, trying not to react to her maddening touch.

"By the way, I've made a reservation for you at the Olympic Suites Inn for tonight and tomorrow, but it would be nice if you two would make an appearance at the house and at Charlie's. Everyone is eager to see you and hear about your trip," Alice told them as they pulled out of the parking garage and got on the road.

The Olympic Suites Inn was a small, privately owned hotel in Forks made from converted apartments. It wasn't the Fairmont, but it was private, and the place had been recently renovated. It would suffice.

"Oh, Alice, you didn't have to do that…" Bella began.

"Yes. I did," Alice interrupted with an air of finality. "Edward's not ready to share you yet. He needs a couple more days."

His wife looked his way and he did his best to keep his face neutral, but she saw the gleam in his eyes and blushed. His earlier arousal returned, and he did his best to dampen it, if only for Jasper's sake.

_'Oh, don't squelch it for me, Edward. Feeling your libido is refreshing. For once you feel like a normal man to me,'_ his brother said wryly.

He only wished Jasper could read minds or else he would have told him exactly what he thought about that.

"We also need to see Maria and Izzy. I promised to go see them when we got back," he said aloud.

There was a moment of silence, then he caught an image in Alice's mind of a battle and blood spilled on the forest floor. He sat up straighter.

"What is it? What happened?" he demanded.

"The stupid werewolves is what happened," his sister replied, not bothering to hide her disgust. "Izzy was fighting a Level 4 demon – things have been really busy here while you were gone by the way – and the wolves got involved because it was too close to their land. They should have stayed out of it, but they didn't, and of course they had no idea what they were doing. One of them got hit with the thing's acid spit. When he went down all hell broke loose, and Izzy ended up trying to kill the demon and protect nine pissed off wolves. She got spit on and burned, two of the werewolves got burned, and Vincent broke his arm. It was a mess."

"Who was hurt? Do you know?" Bella asked suddenly.

"I have no idea, but I do know whoever it was is fine now," Alice assured her.

"Did Izzy kill the demon?" he questioned, much more concerned about his friend than the fate of a bunch of immature werewolves.

"Yeah."

"And the stupid dogs?"

"They went back to La Push after the thing was dead. Izzy set up a meeting with Billy Black and Sam Uley to discuss what had happened and how to avoid injuries in the future. Namely, them staying out of it. They agreed as long as nothing comes onto their land," Alice answered.

He scowled. "How badly were Izzy and Vincent hurt?"

"Not bad. Vincent heals fast so Carlisle expects his cast to come off this week."

"You said it's been busy?"

"Yeah. Something's been popping up about every three or four days. Mostly weak demons that Izzy kills pretty quickly, but she's tired from fighting."

"The bastard behind all this is wearing her down," he commented.

"That's what Izzy thinks he's trying to do. But if that's the case, then he doesn't know how her powers work. She might be tired, but she can take energy right from the earth and use that."

_'But he can make her poison herself,'_ he thought dourly, remembering the black veins in his friend's eyes. Maybe the threat knew more about Izzy's weaknesses than anyone thought he did.

"Where's Zolan?"

"That's the problem. He's out of touch. Maria said T'eir sent a message that they had to go somewhere for a few days."

_'And that's the opportunity their enemy has been waiting for. Izzy is tired, Vincent has a broken arm and Zolan is M.I.A. If anything big is going to happen, it's going to happen very soon.'_

The knowledge greatly disturbed him.

"How are they handling it?" he questioned.

"Maria said they'll just stay in the shield until Zolan and T'eir get back. Unless what comes is a Level 8 or higher, they should be safe. In the meantime, _we're_ supposed to keep a low profile too. According to T'eir, we're known allies now and there's some concern that something might come after us. It's unlikely, but Maria put up a Level 5 shield around our house just in case. Seattle's enforcers have been warned about the possible threat, and they're on alert as well," Alice told him.

"Can you See through a Level 5?"

"Yes, but I still can't See through the one around their place. I wish I could, because then I could warn them ahead of time."

He heard the disappointment in her voice and shared her sentiment.

"I'll call them when we get to the hotel. I have some things to discuss with them anyway."

_'I'll just bet you do!'_ came her amused thoughts, followed by a few images of some things she _had_ Seen even when she wasn't Looking, and his arousal, dampened by his concern for his friends, came rushing to the surface all over again.

He coughed and nudged the back of her seat sharply. She giggled.

"So tell me more about this shopping trip with Maria. What other interesting things did you buy?" he asked, needing a distraction.

Alice helpfully began to prattle on about the underground in the Underground, but it didn't make much difference in his mental state. Unfortunately, one of the images she had sent him had been from a few days ago when he and Bella had decided to "experiment." The experimentation had involved them going down on each other, which had quite literally blown his mind. It had resulted in a bout of lovemaking that had been almost frenzied, with him nearly desperate for release and gripping Bella hard enough to leave bruises on her thighs. Afterwards he had apologized profusely for his roughness, only to discover that his wicked wife had loved it.

He groaned and opened the window a bit to get some fresh air. If he was going to keep from ravishing his wife in front of witnesses, he needed to clear his lungs then stop breathing. Beside him, Bella shifted and he recognized the look on her face, the tight way she was holding her body to keep from pouncing on _him._

_'You do know that, thanks to you, as soon as we drop you off at the hotel, Jasper and I are going to do it right here in the back seat of Carlisle's car,' _Alice informed him.

It was going to be a _**very**_ long trip back to Forks.

TBC …


	20. Chapter 20

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Twenty

"Edward!" Vincent greeted happily as he and Bella got out of the Volvo.

The boy came running over, a huge grin on his face, his left arm in a plaster cast from his hand to his elbow.

"Vincent," he replied, stepping forward to meet the child and accepting his enthusiastic hug.

"Did you have a good trip? Did you do anything fun?"

He almost choked when he heard fun, but managed to swallow it. That depended upon how one defined the word fun. If fun included making love to the most beautiful, sexiest woman in the world, then he'd had a _**lot**_ of fun, but he doubted the boy had meant _**that**_ kind of fun. Bella would have probably blushed if not for the raging headache she had right then.

Apparently while he had a talisman to get through the shield, she didn't, and passing through the boundary had made her feel like someone had zapped her with electricity. In hindsight, he ought to have called ahead of time to tell them they were on their way, but after the conversation he'd had with Maria the day before, he hadn't thought it necessary. She'd told him his coin would get them both through the protections as long as he kept a hand on Bella as they drove through. It was probably an oversight that she hadn't thought to mention that there might be side effects. She had sounded very distracted on the phone, which was one of the reasons he had been anxious to visit.

"What's wrong with Bella?" Vincent asked.

"Nothing. She just has a headache."

Vincent grimaced. "The shield, huh? Yeah, that can happen sometimes when you go through it. Mom has medicine."

He smiled. "I'm sure Bella would be very appreciative."

"I'd settle for some Tylenol," his wife replied through gritted teeth.

He felt bad that she was hurting and frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She brushed off his concern and took a step towards the house. "It's fine. Let's just get inside so I can sit down."

He nodded and they followed Vincent as the boy bounded ahead of them. Aside from the cast, he seemed none the worse for wear.

"How's your arm?"

"It's great. Dr. Cullen says it's healed enough to take off the cast. Will you sign it before then?" Vincent replied, showing him the wildly decorated plaster. He recognized the writing of several of the signatures and doodles on the surface.

"Of course."

"Cool! You too Bella!"

"Sure," Bella agreed sourly, and he knew her short temper was due to the pain she was in.

"Let's get her inside before her head splits open," Vincent commented, and he dearly hoped the boy wasn't serious.

They entered through the deck off the kitchen and went in through the sliding doors.

"M-o-o-m-m-m! Bella's got a headache!" Vincent announced loudly.

Maria was there doing something with some flower seeds and herbs. There was a pot of water boiling on the stove, and the room was filled with the fragrance of flowers and spices. The woman wiped her hands on a dishcloth and came over.

"Edward. Bella. Welcome back."

He nodded and smiled at her, then ushered Bella forward. "I'm sorry, we should have called to say we were coming over. Bella had some difficulties with the shield."

"Oh no. That happens sometimes. I'm sorry. I didn't even think to warn you. Forgive me. I'll brew some tea that will help," Maria apologized.

Bella sat down at the counter and dropped her head into her hands. He felt another twinge of guilt.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I'm sure Maria's tea will help."

"It's okay, Edward. You didn't know," she mumbled irritably.

"I know, but I still hate to see you in pain."

She muttered something and huffed. He stayed beside her as Maria selected some herbs from her collection and brewed a pungent tea that she sweetened with honey. Vincent made himself a tuna sandwich from the smell of it, and plopped down on a stool next to them with his lunch and a glass of milk.

"Wanna sandwich?" the boy asked Bella.

"Ugh, no thanks," Bella groaned.

"Here, Bella. This should make you feel better," Maria told his wife, placing a steaming mug in front of her.

Bella lifted her head and looked at the drink. "Do I want to know what's in it?"

He was shocked and he scowled at her, but Maria didn't seem to be offended.

"Not really, but it _**will**_ help."

Bella huffed and grabbed the mug, taking a deep draught of the hot liquid.

"Gah! That tastes revolting!" she complained, but took another swig.

He watched while she drank the tea, feeling terrible every time she grimaced, and trying to offer what little comfort he could. Unfortunately when Bella was in such moods, she had little patience for his doting.

"Stop hovering," she complained. "I'm fine. The stuff's already starting to work."

"Truly?" He hoped she wasn't saying that just to humor him.

"Truly. The hammering has decreased to a dull thudding."

He looked at Maria who nodded, and he gave her a soft smile. It was then that he realized that Izzy was not in evidence.

"Where's Izzy?" he asked suddenly. He would have expected her to come to the kitchen if she knew they were there.

Maria looked away, her face sad. "Izzy is… resting down in the den."

"Oh. I heard about the fight. Alice told me Izzy got burned."

Maria nodded. "Yes. Slitherin Demons have acidic saliva. They can spit several yards, and the saliva is corrosive."

"Those stupid werewolves!" Vincent snapped. "If they'd just stayed out of it! Izzy was running the damn thing into our trap. Mom and me were ready for it, then this big wolf comes out of the trees and messes the whole thing up!"

He ignored Bella's unhappy look and pressed for more information. "How did you break your arm?"

Vincent touched his cast. "Mom did that. She was trying to get me out of the way when the wolves attacked. She grabbed me with an ivy whip and pulled, but she had to twist at the last second because a wolf rushed her, and she ended up slamming me into a tree. Izzy was so mad. She pressure blasted all of them so they'd get back, all the time screaming at them that they couldn't bite the thing coz its blood is corrosive too. Of course, this big silver wolf had to go and try anyway, and he got his mouth all burned up…"

"Sliver wolf? Paul?" Bella asked, worried.

"Probably. He is the one with the worst temper," he replied.

"Was Paul okay? Who else was hurt?"

Vincent shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "Dunno. A little gray one. They're both ok. Mom gave them stuff for the burns."

_'The little gray one had to be Leah. It isn't the first time she's done something reckless. Sam must be so angry with her…'_

"Leah… Edward, I should call Seth and find out if his sister is okay," Bella said, her face anguished.

He reluctantly handed her his cell phone. He didn't really want her talking to the dogs, but he knew better than to argue. Like it or not, his wife had an unhealthy attachment to the mongrels, and he could not go against her unless he wanted to drive a wedge between them. Rather than listen to her make the call, however, he opted for going in search of Izzy. He gave a nod to Maria as he stood and left the kitchen.

He headed down the stairs to the lower level, navigating in the darkness because all the lights were off. But he didn't need light to see, and he made his way to the small room with the stone fireplace. He found Izzy lying there on the couch, one arm thrown over her eyes, and a small fire burning its way to coals in the hearth. He went to her side and did what he had planned to do the moment he saw her again; he knelt beside her.

"Hey," came the weary voice.

He smiled. Of course she knew he was there. She'd probably felt him coming even before he'd crossed the shield.

"Hey," he whispered back.

He could now see the burns streaked across her arm, what looked like a few splatters on her neck and two spots on her cheek. They were mostly healed, but the puckered new skin was still several shades darker than the surrounding flesh. He frowned, angry at the dogs all over again. Izzy had a hard enough time without the mongrels interfering. The dogs had only made it that much more difficult for her.

_'You got hit in the face…'_

_'Just a little. 'S not bad. They don't hurt anymore. Won't even be scars in a few weeks. Not that my face is anything to be worried about.'_

He didn't like her bitter tone. _'You are beautiful, inside and out.'_

She dropped her arm and looked at him, letting him see her eyes. He gasped. The black veins were even more prominent now; little blood bursts making black spots on the whites. He took her hand, holding it gently.

_'What can I do? How can I help?'_ he asked, horrified that his friend was hurting.

He almost surprised himself by how… possessive he was of his friends. He knew he was possessive about Bella and his family – insanely so about Bella – but to find that he was similarly territorial about his friends, that was… unexpected.

_'Keep yourself and your girl safe. That's what you can do.'_

_'But there must be something. I know I'm not strong by your measures, but surely I can be of some value to you.'_

She smiled and closed her hand around his. _'You are of value to me, just as you are. For this. For your concern. Compassion without guilt. I can't take any more guilt right now.'_

_'Are you hiding from Maria down here?'_

_'Yeah. I don't want her to have to look at me any more than is necessary. This kind of thing hurts her too much.'_

He nodded and shifted his weight, leaning his back against the side of the couch.

_'So where is your little woman?'_

_'On the phone with the dogs,'_ he answered sourly.

She chuckled. _'I can see why you're down here.'_

_'I hear you're under house arrest.'_

_'Yeah. Zolan's in Tellunara. We're staying put until he gets back.'_

_'How long will he be gone?'_

She shrugged. _'He's supposed to be back in the next few days. T'eir will contact us.'_

He nodded, glad that Izzy would get a chance to rest if she stayed safe behind Maria's protective shield. She certainly looked like she needed the respite.

_'I heard about the fight. Will you tell me what happened from your point of view?'_

_'Sure,'_ she agreed.

She opened her mind and showed him the battle through her eyes. The beast was reptilian like the Komodo Demon, but more snake-like in its construct. It didn't appear to have teeth, but it did have a nasty set of fangs, and, of course, it could spray its acidic venom with frightening accuracy. He witnessed the coming of the wolves, and Izzy's attempts to keep the stupid dogs from getting themselves killed. He rolled his eyes when he saw that he'd been right, the two injured wolves had been Leah Clearwater and Paul. The two hotheaded idiots.

He wasn't prepared for the memory of the pain she had felt when she got hit with the acidic spray. The burning and the feeling of her flesh being eaten away, or how she had compartmentalized it enough to bring down the beast in order to kill it. He felt the power surging through her body as if it were his own, then the bone-numbing exhaustion that came from wielding the energies, but yet knowing that he couldn't rest, couldn't sleep. He was so tired, so sick of fighting, so sick of getting up every day to the same battle, the same dance of blood and death…

She closed off the memories, and he came out of them with a shake and gasp.

_'Sorry,'_ she apologized.

_'S'ok.'_

He reached for her hand again and turned it over, noting that the veins on the back of her palm were dark, darker than they ought to be, and he felt a pang of sympathy. She pulled her hand away abruptly.

_'Don't. Don't pity me. Everything good that ever came to me in this life came from Maria and that boy. I have no regrets.'_

He looked at her, daring her to lie to him. _'Don't you?'_

_'Do I wish things had been different? Yes. Do I wish I hadn't had to make some of the decisions I had to? Yeah, sure. Would I do anything differently? No, I wouldn't, and neither would you.'_

He had to admit that she was right.

_'But you must have some regrets. You stopped writing music,'_ he commented, not wishing to be cruel, but feeling the need to point that out.

_'A necessary sacrifice. In any case, I just traded instruments. I became the instrument of death, and I figured if I was going to do it, I'd become the best damn one there ever was.'_

Her thoughts were bitter and sad.

_'I doubt anyone would refute that. I've seen what you can do.'_

She shrugged. _'I just do what I have to. To keep them safe. You'd do the same thing.'_

_'Where Bella is concerned? Absolutely.'_

_'See what I mean? We understand each other. 'S why we get along so well. Both of us will do anything for the people we love.'_

He grinned, relishing the opportunity to turn the tables on her.

_'Oh, so I have no chance of stealing you away from Maria?'_ he teased, looking at her wide-eyed and disappointed.

_'None. Sorry, the vampire mojo doesn't work on me,' _she answered, but she smiled.

_'Don't I dazzle you with my stunning good looks?'_ He batted his eyes and showed her his good side – whatever that was.

_'Well, I won't argue that you're easy on the eyes, but nope.'_

He turned coy. _'Am I the wrong sex?'_

Normally, he would never have dreamed of asking such a blunt question, but there was an ease between them, and he knew she would understand that he meant no insult. He was right because she laughed softly.

_'Nah, your sex is fine. Some days I think neither sex is my sex.'_

He understood what she meant. Before he'd met Bella, he had no interest in anyone male or female, although he knew certain family members wondered if he was gay because he showed no attraction to girls. Of course, now that he had Bella, there were no doubts as to his preferences. He smiled to himself, remembering, then turned to Izzy and kissed the back of her hand.

_'I owe you everything,'_ he admitted.

_'You owe me nothing.'_

_'How can you say that? I know the Warrior Peach was __**your**__ idea,'_ he argued, daring her to deny it.

_'It was a joint decision. It had to be. It's not often that one of them crosses the Veil. The Warrior Peach is a Sidhe creation, and they're notoriously reluctant to share their things. T'eir got Maria the seeds. I don't know how, and chances are I don't want to know. I am sure he broke a few laws getting them.'_

She sighed and he felt the hand in his squeeze lightly.

_'But I had to try. If you had had to turn her… That would have ripped a hole in your soul not even Maria could heal. You'd forever flagellate yourself with regrets and anger for your weakness, always blaming your own selfishness for stealing her away from a human life. And if she had come to resent you the way Rosalie resents Carlisle, that would have destroyed you.'_

He knew it was true. If he had changed Bella and then have had her hate what she was later on, he would never have been able to live with himself, especially if she decided that she didn't want him anymore. That would indeed have killed him.

_'Thank you.'_

She brushed off his gratitude. _'I'm just glad she decided to stick with it.'_

_'We'll need more…'_

_'S'ok. Maria already has a plan to grow it. We were ever hopeful that she'd do the right thing. We have more for you. Don't forget to take it with you when you leave today. Should be enough for several months if she backs it down to three times a week, which she ought to be doing now anyway.'_

He smiled and nodded. _'We were planning on it. Thank you. We are indebted to you forever. Whatever you need, anytime. Ask and, if it is within my power, you shall have it.'_

She rolled her eyes. _'Thank you. If I think of anything, I'll let you know.'_

He was glad that she didn't argue with him. _'Please do.'_

_'Don't let me forget to give you guys Zolan's mark before you leave, and I'll give the little woman her own talisman so the next time she comes here she won't get a migraine.'_

_'Thank you. Bella did tell me about the Volturi. Is it true?' _It was hard to believe that the Volturi had been committing such a huge act of deception, but then again, it wasn't that farfetched.

_'Oh yeah. No need to worry about them.'_

It was a relief. _'Then I will owe you double for everything you have given us.'_

She frowned._ 'I'm not keeping score.'_

_'I know. Neither am I.'_

_'Good. Now there is something you can do for me.'_

_'Anything,' _he answered eagerly.

_'You can tell me all about your trip. The last time Mia and I traveled anywhere was to Paris two years ago so she could spend some time at the Conservatoire.'_

_'Did you enjoy that?'_ He'd rather enjoyed Europe the last time he'd been there for pleasure and not for committing suicide.

_'Nope, hated it. Only thing worse than fighting demons is fighting demons that never bathe.'_

He laughed out loud, and obliged her with the more public memories of his honeymoon.

TBC …


	21. Chapter 21

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: Another violent, disturbing chapter. This story is almost finished now. Another two chapters and it will be complete.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Twenty-One

_'It's a Level 9. Stay away.'_

Edward was running. He was moving at top speed, but he still didn't know if he would get there in time.

_'It's a Level 9. Stay away.'_

He knew the message was a warning and a command. But it was a command he could not obey. He could not obey because Alice had Seen. If he did obey, then Izzy would die. If he didn't obey, then _**he**_ could die. The first vision was certain. The second was undecided. He had to take the chance.

A Level 9 demon was extremely powerful, and it was capable of breaking Maria's shield. Izzy would have no choice but to fight it, even though she was almost certainly outmatched, and she would have to face it alone. Vincent wasn't up to the fight even if he didn't have a broken arm, and Maria had to concentrate on fortifying her shield in case Izzy failed.

Zolan wasn't due back from his trip for another day so there would be no help from that side. And Izzy was tired and worn out from all of the fighting she had been doing recently. It was the worst possible moment for an attack of such magnitude, but no one thought it was a coincidence. No, this assault had been cleverly planned, just as Izzy had suspected all along, and their enemy had chosen his timing wisely.

With everything that had happened, and everything Izzy and Maria had done for him, he could not allow her to face the threat alone. He didn't know what he could possibly do against a Level 9, but Alice said he would be able to make a difference. She didn't know how. He supposed he'd find out when he got there.

He sped through the trees, concentrating on getting there in time. He didn't think about his family telling him not to go; he didn't think about Bella pleading with him to stay with her. Selfish girl! As if he would hide behind his wife while a friend died! He had never wanted to hit Bella before, but for a moment he'd wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into her. If she thought he would stand idly by and do nothing while Izzy was murdered, then she had no idea of the man – monster – she had married. No tears, no thrown insults, no yelling or hastily controlled arguments would sway him, and it certainly did her no good to threaten him; especially not with something as petty as withholding intimacies. If she thought she could use their bedroom activities as a means to control him, she was sorely mistaken. Maybe it was a very good idea that she had decided to grow up, because her behavior was decidedly that of an immature teenager.

But that didn't matter. Nothing mattered except the movement of his legs, the wind rushing past his ears as he ran. Somewhere behind him, far, far behind him, he was aware that his family was following, as were some of the Quileute wolves, but they were many miles in his wake. With luck they would arrive after it was all over.

He could hear the sounds of battle, and smell the scent of spilled blood, and he came to a skidding halt. The blood was Izzy's, and he knew she had been injured. The rage he felt was hot and venom pooled in his mouth as he stifled a growl and forced himself to approach carefully.

He knew he was no match for a Level 9, but maybe he could use stealth, cunning and surprise to his advantage. He crouched down and tread silently as only a vampire could do until he was able to catch a glimpse of the fight going on through the trees.

He didn't know what he was expecting a Level 9 demon to look like, but what surprised him most was how human the thing looked. It resembled a young man, very handsome and well built, with very long white hair that he had put back in a topknot, leaving the tail swinging free. He was dressed in what appeared to be a suit of armor made from bone and leather. He could have been any college freshman going to Yale in the fall, if not for his cooked-lobster red skin and vivid purple eyes. That and the fact that he was hovering several feet above the ground.

He was attacking something on the forest floor, throwing bolts of highly charged lighting and fire that shook the ground each time one hit. The bolts were breaking over what appeared to be a protective shield of energy, but he could see the shield weakening under the assaults. A few more steps closer and he could see that Izzy was in the shield, doing her best to keep it from breaking completely, but she was wounded and down.

The look on her face, pained yet determined, struck him, and he heard her thoughts. She knew she was going to die. She was running out of the strength she needed to control the life energies, but she was prepared to meet her fate as long as Maria and Vincent could get away safely. Now all she was doing was staying alive long enough to buy them enough time to escape.

His undead heart twisted and he searched for something, anything, he could do. He was in agony watching his friend's desperate attempts to hold off the thing, and vibrating with impotent rage. He had to think fast, he was almost out of time. The demon threw another blast. He saw Izzy's shield buckle and nearly break, and he burst forward, unable to stand it any longer. Roaring, he did the only thing he could. He threw a tree.

It seemed an absurd thing to do, but it was all he could think of. He grabbed the closest tree that he felt was big enough, ripped it out of the ground and hurled it with everything he had right at the demon. His aim was true and the tree slammed into the thing, shattering against the demon's armor. He could see that he hadn't done any physical damage, but the beast did stop its attacks on Izzy and turned glowing eyes his way.

He stopped, facing down the demon, teeth bared, fists clenched, growls rumbling out of his throat; a housecat facing down a Bengal Tiger. He roared again, challenging, and the demon roared back, shrieking something in a language he did not understand.

It didn't matter because he saw it coming at him, blazing eyes, lightning flashing between its fingers. He saw his death racing at him, but he couldn't move. He was held like a rabbit caught in a cobra's stare as the demon attacked.

He was going to die. He knew it. There was nowhere to run. The demon raised its hands…

_'Bella, I love you. Bella, I'm sorry…'_

Then he saw a glowing yellow ball rising behind his attacker, a blazing sunburst of power eclipsing the beast.

_**'Edward! GET DOWN!'**_

He obeyed and threw himself face first to the forest floor, digging into the earth a good two feet in a second. He felt the blast hit above him, heard the thud and the crackle of electricity, and a flaming inferno of heat seared his back. There was a scream, a choked off roar, then the sound of something smashing heavily into the trees, followed by snapping trunks and ripping roots. Then silence, the only noise the sound of his gasping breath.

He raised his head and looked behind him. There was a path of destruction almost one hundred feet long cutting through the forest, and the demon was a motionless lump at the end of the swath. He turned his head to search for Izzy and found her lying in the middle of a circle of scorched earth. Everything within twenty-five feet of her was dead or dying.

_'Izzy…'_

He dragged himself out of the hole, wincing as his burned flesh protested. There was nothing left of his shirt, and it fell off in charred strips as he stood.

_'Izzy…'_

She wasn't moving. He started to stumble over to her when he heard a groan behind him, and he turned to see the demon getting up, shaking off the avalanche of branches and dirt. His heart sank when he realized the thing wasn't seriously injured.

_'Oh no…'_

The demon hissed and staggered to its feet, cursing in the alien language, but probably saying something like: "I'll rip out your entrails and feed you to the crows!"

He gasped. Maybe he could grab Izzy and run while it was still recovering. He forced his legs to walk another two steps towards her prone figure, afraid to look behind him to see if the beast was getting closer. He made it to the edge of the scorched area before he saw Izzy twitch a finger.

_'Stay… back…'_ came the faint warning, the thought barely coherent.

He dropped to his knees as he heard a snarl behind him, but then the snarl cut off. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the demon had frozen, looking off to its side as if it were listening. A moment later, it bared its teeth and vanished. He sagged with relief and turned back to Izzy.

_'Izzy.'_

She moved her head, turning to look at him, and he gasped. She was bleeding from every orifice on her face, dark blood trickling from her nose and ears, staining her lips as it leaked from her gums, and her eyes were completely black with no sign of her pupils or irises. The blood smelled tainted, toxic, and he saw that she was bleeding from her fingernails too.

_'Izzy…'_

_'Stay… back,' _she warned again, a little stronger this time.

_'What do I do? Izzy, tell me what to do, please,'_ he begged.

He placed one hand on the blacked earth, only to pull his fingers back when he felt his life energy being sucked down. He couldn't reach her without getting drained himself.

He was about to stand and go in search of help when he heard a snarl behind him. The act of whipping his head around to face the possible threat made him dizzy, but he was able to make out a double-image of Zolan standing there: a very, _**very**_ pissed off Zolan.

_'Zolan… That's why the demon ran…'_ he realized.

He lifted a weak hand to point in the direction the demon had fled.

"T-that way," he choked. "It went that way."

Zolan growled and vanished, but at least knowing the Fire Demon was back took all the pressure off. He stayed by the edge of the scorched circle and waited, knowing help had to be close behind. He wondered what was taking his family so long. They ought to be there by now, and maybe even a couple of the faster wolves, unless they'd gone the wrong way or had gotten sidetracked for some reason. A few moments later, he heard running footsteps.

_**"Izzy!"**_ he heard Maria scream, her voice anguished.

"Maria! No!" he warned as she went running into the dead area.

He saw her stagger and go down to one knee, and he was about to risk going to grab her when he saw her bare her teeth and throw a handful of seeds. The seeds germinated in midair, then shot out root systems that sunk down into the blackened earth, turning it and blanketing it with green. She spared no time and ran to Izzy's side, falling to her knees, weeping. He joined her a moment later.

"I'm here. You're going to be alright," she was saying between sobs, stroking Izzy's hair.

He saw Izzy twitch and make a feeble attempt to lift her hand. Maria saw it too, and grabbed the hand, holding it tightly.

"I'm here. T'eir is coming. Please hold on." _'Please don't leave me. Please, please don't leave me!'_

She turned to him, her face streaked with tears. "Where is it?"

There could only be one 'it.' "Zolan is hunting it."

She nodded and looked at the destruction around them. "Did Izzy do this?"

"Yes."

Maria shuddered and her face contorted with agony. _'She called a final strike. She sucked all the life energy out of the surrounding land and threw it.'_

He agreed, letting out a slow breath through his nose, and focused on Izzy's broken body. He could hear her heart faltering. Had he been too late after all?

_'Too close. Too close…'_ she was repeating, then aloud, "You're burned."

He lifted his head and looked at her. "Huh? Oh, my back. I'm okay."

She sniffled and he saw her pluck a seed from her bracelets. Almost instantly the purple aloe-like plant sprouted, and she was smearing the soothing gel on his scorched flesh.

"Here. This will help."

"Thank you, you don't have to…"

"Mom! Izzy!" Vincent cried as he joined them, his child's face showing more pain than anyone so young should ever have to suffer.

"I am here," T'eir announced immediately after the boy, his silk voice calm but edged with urgency.

Seeing the Plant Weaver again did not dampen the shock of his appearance, and Edward watched as the unearthly graceful demon moved towards them, the generous folds of his clothing pooling on the ground as he bent over Izzy's prone body, his long four-fingered hands touching her lightly.

"Oh, my dear friend. My brave friend…" T'eir whispered.

Izzy gave an inhuman groan and spasmed. Maria choked on a sob.

"She hasn't Cleansed in months," the Plant Weaver said.

"No," Maria confirmed, her voice desperate.

"Then they must come off."

A sharp, croaked negative from Izzy made them look at her. Even though he couldn't see her irises under the black blood, he knew she was glaring at them. T'eir calmed her.

"We have no choice. My dear friend, it is the only way."

Izzy continued to disagree, struggling weakly to get up. T'eir held her down easily with one hand.

"Maria, Dream Flower please, and quickly," the Plant Weaver ordered.

Clearly agonized by what she was doing, Maria obeyed and germinated a beautiful, delicate white and blue blossom that she held to Izzy's face, ignoring her friend's protests.

_'Forgive me,'_ he heard her beg.

The plant worked quickly and Edward saw Izzy lose consciousness.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Maria sobbed.

"She will forgive you. You know this," T'eir comforted.

Edward raised his head to look for Vincent. The boy had to be blaming himself or upset that he hadn't been able to help. Sure enough, Vincent was standing a few feet away, face tight, hands clenched into fists and steaming. He noted the lack of the cast.

"Where's your cast?" he asked.

"I broke it off," the boy replied tersely.

"Ah."

"Tell me how this came to happen?" T'eir asked, and Edward knew he was talking to him.

"I got the warning and came to help. When I got here that thing had Izzy down on the ground, and it was attacking her with these balls of lightning and fire."

"There is no way you could have bested a Questias Demon. What did you do?"

"I threw a tree."

It seemed lame, but there it was.

"You… threw a tree?" The bemused look on the Plant Weaver's face might have been funny if the circumstances had been different.

He looked at what was left of the large Spruce he'd grabbed and T'eir followed his line of sight.

"I see. Unorthodox, but apparently effective," T'eir commented.

"I think I just distracted it. It was coming at me when Izzy blasted it."

"The distraction probably gave her enough time to tap a line on its chi, and she was able to send the blast right along its lifeline," Maria said.

"Perhaps. The amount of damage does suggest a similar course of action," T'eir agreed.

"You weren't supposed to be back for another couple of days," he said, glad to see the Plant Weaver – gladder to see Zolan – but curious.

T'eir nodded. "We are not without our allies. We received warning that Szalkan was going to attack while we were gone, and we returned as quickly as we could."

"Not that I'm not very glad to see you," he added.

"Yes, but better if we had gotten here a bit sooner." The Plant Weaver turned his attention to Izzy. "Oh, my dear friend, I fear this time it is very bad."

While he had been talking, T'eir had been doing something to Izzy's legs. He had ripped back the filthy, bloodied denim of her jeans to expose her calves, and now his long, bony fingers were manipulating something just under her knees. There was a hiss of air being released, and a wet, popping sound, then a hideous stench assaulted his nose worse than werewolf. He exhaled to expel it out of his lungs and stopped breathing as he stared at what T'eir had just done.

It looked like Izzy's legs had… come off, and his eyes opened wide as he realized that was _exactly_ what had happened. T'eir was lifting the limbs, pulling them away from Izzy's body, and placing them on the grass. But they weren't _human_ legs. As soon as they had come off of Izzy's knees, they had changed color to a sickening pale green, and their surface was almost scaled in texture, like snakeskin or alligator flesh. He gasped and instantly regretted it because they _**reeked**_.

Izzy's stumps were just below the knee, mangled, bloodied and gangrene, and the sight of the putrid, rotting flesh made him wince and gag. How had she been standing on such injuries? Apparently, Maria was wondering the same thing because she let out a moan and started crying all over again.

"Oh, my word," T'eir breathed, even his normally calm voice trembling slightly.

"Oh, God. Izzy…" Maria choked.

"Damn…" Vincent whispered.

"I must get her into a Regeneration Tank immediately," T'eir said. "The damage is extensive. I don't know if we will be able to save her knees."

"Go. I'll wait here for Zolan," Maria told him.

The Plant Weaver nodded and began gathering up the unconscious woman in his arms.

"Vincent, go with him," Maria ordered.

"But mom!"

"You can speak for your father," she hissed, her voice urgent.

The boy seemed to understand and stopped protesting as he moved to stand next to T'eir. The Plant Weaver was holding Izzy's limp body much more easily than Edward would have expected such a delicate looking creature to manage, but T'eir did not seem to be struggling with the weight at all.

"I'll join you as soon as I can," Maria promised.

"We will be waiting. We will do all that is in our power," T'eir promised.

"I know you will."

T'eir nodded and Vincent grabbed a fistful of the Plant Weaver's robes. An instant later they were gone, and Edward was left alone with Maria and a pair of disgusting inhuman legs.

TBC …


	22. Chapter 22

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: This is the next to last chapter. The one following this is more of an epilogue. I hope all of you enjoyed my work and thank for the reviews.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Twenty-Two

The silence that T'eir left in his wake was deafening, but Edward didn't know how to break it. Beside him Maria was shivering, concentrating on smearing more of the purple aloe plant on his burns, her hands trembling. He let her dote on him because he knew she was using it as a way to keep herself from falling apart.

At one point, their eyes met and he glanced at the discarded legs, allowing her to see his unanswered questions. She sighed and looked away.

"Izzy lost her legs in a riding accident when she was 16," she explained softly.

He nodded, showing her that he was listening, and hoping that she would continue. She did a few moments later, her voice unsteady and far away.

"Her horse refused a jump in the middle of a cross-country race. She fell behind a hedge where the riders following couldn't see her, and she got stomped on repeatedly. Half of her body was crushed. She was in a coma for six weeks. There was a lot of internal damage, and she lost some organs including her uterus and one of her ovaries. At first they thought they could save at least one of her legs, but then an infection set in and they had to amputate both legs below the knee. She woke up after it was all over. That was probably for the best."

She nodded as if trying to convince herself that it had been better for Izzy not to know what was happening, but he wasn't so sure. If he had been in Izzy's place, he would have wanted to know what was going on. He had no idea how he would feel if he suddenly found that he was missing two limbs. But he didn't say that. Maria probably already knew what Izzy would have wanted anyway.

"She was an only child, and her parents just couldn't handle the strain of almost losing her. They divorced; her dad moved out of state, but, somehow, we became closer."

She smiled fondly to herself and he remained silent, waiting.

"We'd always been friends, but… I don't know. After she got hurt, we kinda clicked. My home life was a nightmare. My father abused my mother and me, hated me, called me a Gypsy whore. After my grandfather died, I had no one to protect me. I ended up giving Rosamun to Izzy so my dad wouldn't break her. Izzy was there for me. We were there for each other. It's just the way it was."

She looked at him, her eyes old. The sight disturbed him because she was always so lovely, so beautiful. The pain marring her face didn't belong there, and her suffering pulled at his heart.

"We were inseparable. Both unhealthily co-dependant on each other but it worked for us." She sighed, her brow lined with confusion. "Izzy needed someone and I… I needed to be needed." She shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "And we were always better when we were together. Neither of us did very well when we were apart. She went everywhere with me. It was such a comfort to know that, no matter what happened, I always had someone who believed in me, and thought I was worthwhile."

Her smile faltered, and she fiddled with her hands. Edward looked at them, studying them. They were fine-boned and delicate like the rest of her, musician's hands, an artist's hands.

"When we went to separate colleges after graduation, we missed each other terribly," she recalled with a little chuckle. "We ran up huge long distance bills talking on the phone. Izzy fared worse than me."

She paused, her hands clenching. He ventured to put a hand on her shoulder, but he still did not speak. It was her story to tell and he feared questions would make her stop. Her whole body heaved with a deep sigh and a shudder made her shoulder quiver.

"Then I got pregnant," she said with a resigned breath. "I was scared, and not just for the normal young, unwed mother reasons. There was no one I could turn to. I couldn't tell my parents. The only one I could tell was Izzy."

She looked at him, her dark eyes searching his face. He didn't know what she was looking for, but apparently she found it because she went on.

"Izzy dropped everything. She quit Wesleyan and moved up to New York. She was there in two days. I didn't even have to ask."

He smiled. It was wonderful to have a friend like that. He felt the same way about his family. On more than one occasion his parents or one of his siblings had done the same for him.

"When I entered the second trimester, I started running a fever. I was terrified. I didn't know much about Fire Demons – Zolan never liked to talk about what he was – but I did know that he was the only Fire Demon who didn't kill his mother at birth.

She glanced up at him. "Izzy has a theory, by the way. She thinks Zolan is the next link in the evolutionary chain for Fire Demons. They've never been very numerous, but they've been dwindling over the past few centuries. There aren't too many female demons willing to carry a Fire Demon infant if they know they're going to die in labor. Izzy believes Zolan is the key to the Fire Demons' survival; him and my son. I don't know. All I knew then was that I was scared, and I didn't know what was happening."

He could imagine. After earning two degrees in medicine, he knew normal pregnancies could be difficult and frightening. He didn't even want to think about what a demon pregnancy would be like.

"I ran a fever all the time. I spent the last three months of my education at Julliard drugged up on antipyretics. It's amazing I could function at all let alone graduate in the top 5 percent, but the fever got worse the closer I got to my due date. I didn't know what to do."

She hung her head, fisting her hands together, her shoulders drooping with guilt.

"So Izzy did what I couldn't. She went out and got my answers for me. Knowing what we know now about how secretive and insular the non-human world is, the fact that she was able to find out anything is a miracle. I don't know what she had to do, or what she had to promise, to get the information for me. She won't tell me, and I'm afraid to ask.

"She found a midwife for me. Human, but she knew some things about mixed-species pregnancies. Her name was Veronica. She was a Gypsy like my grandfather, like me. I don't know where Izzy found her, but she was there when Vincent was born. I never got a chance to ask how she knew what she knew, but she knew that my pregnancy would only last seven months. She helped deliver Vincent, helped with all the paperwork for reporting a birth, and stayed for a couple of days to make sure I was all right. Then she left, and we've never heard from her since."

Images of Vincent's birth flashed through his mind, scattered memories of pain, fear and an ice-filled bathtub. He saw Izzy and a strange, black-haired woman in attendance, coaching a terrified young woman through the greatest trial of her life. And then, when it was all over, the midwife had wrapped Maria's newborn son in a blanket and presented him to his mother. Maria had been ecstatic and triumphant, laughing as she'd held her baby in her arms.

Edward looked at her, smiling, and she smiled back, her eyes clear and happy.

"For a while, life was perfect. I had my son. I had my best friend. Zolan had left me some jewels that I sold to pay bills, and Izzy and I got by. We wrote songs together. Izzy was a very talented pianist and keyboard player. Not concert pianist good, but fair enough. She has an amazing ear, a real talent for putting songs together, and her lyrics are inspired. She had a way of weaving words that made you really feel and understand what was being said. Together with my composing skills, we wrote hundreds of songs, and we sold a number of them, and well, you saw the awards we won, we were pretty good at it."

He nodded, noting the pride in her voice. "I saw. The list was impressive," he agreed quietly.

"It was." Her face fell again and she dropped her gaze. "But then as Vincent got older, he began manifesting his Gifts. He was always a fire starter, but he began to lose control more often, and he was getting more and more dangerous. So Izzy went back into the non-human world and came back with Seals and Talismans to bind Vincent's power, but unfortunately, he began burning through them."

She paused for a bit, then took a deep breath, and he got the impression that she was coming to the more difficult parts of her story, the parts that were the source of all the pain her family was suffering.

"When Vincent was three, he set fire to our draperies and almost burned down the apartment complex we were living in. Child Services thought I had left him playing with matches. There was going to be an inquiry. Izzy and I took Vincent and relocated out of state, but we knew the same thing would happen no matter where we went if Vincent didn't learn control, so Izzy went back into the demon world again, and this time she found T'eir, who found Zolan."

He remembered Izzy joking with Vincent on the baseball field about setting an apartment building on fire. At the time, he had thought that the event hadn't been serious, but obviously he'd been wrong. Even if no significant damage had resulted from the fire, the accident had changed the family's lives forever.

"That's when all the trouble started. Up until then, no one knew who Vincent's father was, but after Zolan knew so did other demons, and our lives were constantly in danger. We had to learn how to protect ourselves."

She shrugged and gave him a sidelong glance. "It was easy for me to study under T'eir. After all, where's the violence in plants? And I learned how to make shields and barriers. But one of us needed to learn how to fight, so Izzy did what I couldn't, and she learned how to kill. Izzy, who hated killing even spiders, learned how to rip demons limb from limb, for me."

She stopped, gathering her thoughts and resolve. He felt her trembling under his fingers, smelled the sadness seeping from her pores. He waited for her to be able to continue, remaining silent and supportive, until she finally began to speak.

"But… but the energies she was using were too much for her prosthetic legs. They kept cracking and breaking under the strain. She went through three pairs in two years. So Izzy did what no one should have to do, what I could never ask her to do…" She stopped again, choking as tears began to leak from her eyes. "She accepted a pair of demon legs."

They both looked at the discarded limbs, and the raw hatred on her face surprised him. She sniffed and shook her head.

"They're toxic," she said matter-of-factly. "They poison her blood, make her dark and violent; cause her to have fits of rage. She's supposed to take them off and Cleanse every two weeks so the toxins don't build up too much, kind of like a demonic dialysis, but there are still side effects. When she's wearing the legs, she can't hear the music anymore. She stopped playing the keyboards, and she hasn't played them since."

She laughed bitterly, grimacing. "My best friend turned herself into a monster for me."

The look she gave him was tortured, and he was stunned by the loathing in her eyes, not directed at him, but directed towards herself.

"Izzy sacrificed everything: her future, her life, her humanity. She even gave up the music. And I will never, _ever_ forgive myself."

She closed her eyes and crumpled, sobs shaking her thin body, and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his face to her hair, offering what little comfort he had to give.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, but the words were woefully inadequate to describe what he was feeling. "You shouldn't worry. She'll be all right. She won't leave you."

He took her by the shoulders and made her look at him, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Love. Is stronger. Than death," he told her seriously, willing her to believe it as much as he did, as much as he had to in order to keep believing that his relationship with Bella was right and good.

She laughed softly and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and pressed his forehead to hers, still looking into her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, her voice rough and broken.

"Anytime."

She laughed again, a little chuckle, but a laugh nonetheless, and he saw some of the pain fade from her expression.

"We should go," Zolan's voice interrupted, barely a whisper and layered with emotion.

The voice startled him because he hadn't sensed the Fire Demon's return, and they broke apart, Maria hastily wiping the tears from her face as they turned to look at the ruby-eyed demon.

"Zolan," she said, sniffling. "T'eir took Izzy to put her in a Regeneration Tank."

"I know."

The Fire Demon extended a hand, and Maria slipped out of Edward's grasp to stand and go to him. Edward watched as Zolan placed an arm around Maria's shoulders. She looked so frail and small next to him.

Simultaneously, they all looked at the demon prosthetics.

"Should we take them with us?" Maria asked.

Zolan's answer was a fireball that charred the legs into two blackened husks. Edward could not have agreed with him more.

"You _will_ see us again," Maria promised him, her voice firm and steady.

He nodded and she smiled wanly. Zolan's hand on her shoulder tightened, she closed her eyes, and then they were gone.

He stayed in the clearing, kneeling in the middle of the circle of dead earth, earth that was steadily returning to life from Maria's quickly growing plants, smarting from his burns and staring at the still smoldering pile of demonic flesh.

He was still there ten minutes later when Sam's Pack and the rest of his family found him.

To Be Concluded…


	23. Chapter 23

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: Okay, okay. So this isn't the last chapter. Izzy and Edward wouldn't shut up, ok? The next one is it. I promise. Enjoy.

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Twenty-Three

Edward stood surveying his extensive collection of CDs, trying to decide what, if any, of them to take. His room was decidedly bare as most of the contents had been packed up and sent off to New Hampshire to his and Bella's new home. They would be following in a few short days.

He had found a perfect little 2-bedroom cottage on two acres of land just outside of Hanover, NH. Actually, _he_ hadn't found it, _Alice_ had in one of her visions. All he'd had to do was find it for real and make the owner an offer.

It had been very inexpensive by his standards, less than 350,000, and the pictures of its clean interior, surrounding gardens and little stream were enough to make him buy it sight unseen. Nestled in a clearing surrounded by trees, it was secluded and private, and there was plenty of room for his Blood Vine. It was close enough to campus, yet far enough away for him to be comfortable. He couldn't have imagined a more ideal setting.

He didn't tell Bella he'd bought it outright. She thought they were renting it. In time he would tell her that the "rent" was a "lease to own" agreement, or something. He didn't like deceiving her, but it was necessary. She was still freaking out about the car he had bought her; so much so that he'd ended up giving her his Volvo and taken the new car for himself. Heaven only knew what she would do when she found out that he'd bought her the cottage. He was really getting tired of not being "allowed" to give her gifts. He was hoping to break her of that particular annoying habit, and soon.

With a sigh, he pushed aside his dour thoughts and decided to take the entire collection. The cottage had a formal dining room that he had plans to convert into a music room, and there would be space for some of his collection there. The rest could go in what the realtor had called a "Man Cave": a room in the basement of the cottage outfitted with, apparently, features particular to men. He'd seen photos of the paneled room equipped with a large flat panel television, a few worn recliners and a pool table. With a few modifications, it could be acoustically optimized, and he would have a "place to go in his home where he could do manly things."

_'Like what?' _he wondered. _'Drink beer, shoot pool and watch football?' _

He shrugged; he did like watching most sports. Maybe he would put a big flat screen TV down there, and his old black leather couch…

He shook his head and began loading up his CDs into the moving boxes. The movers would be arriving in the morning to take the rest of his and Bella's things. The couch was gone, his piano was gone, most of his clothes were gone; the only big ticket items left were his Volvo, his stereo, his music collection and the bed. He'd shipped his new car to a dealer in NH where it would be waiting for him when they arrived. Tomorrow night he and Bella would check into the Olympic Suites Inn again, stay four nights, then fly cross-country.

With luck, everything would arrive on time and they would have a week to buy furniture and other household items, unpack, settle in and enjoy a couple of days before classes started for Dartmouth's Fall Semester. At least that was how it was supposed to happen. Since he was using a new "relocation service," he was a little unsure.

Carlisle had registered them with the Interspecies Administrative Council in Seattle. The first thing that happened was that they had gotten a heapload of junkmail from "interspecies" businesses hawking their products and services. It would appear that there was direct marketing even in the demon world. But since one of the so-called benefits of registration was help relocating, he decided to give one of the moving companies a try. He contracted the same outfit that Izzy and Maria had used for their move from New York; a nationwide business with a good reputation.

He'd gone into the outfit's office in Seattle to get more information and see about terms of service, and the manager assured him that their company had centuries of experience relocating non-human clients, and seeing to their "unique needs."

"What kind of unique needs?" he'd asked drolly.

The manager had smiled. "Got any special grave dirt we need to make sure doesn't get lost or damaged?" At his growl, the man had held up his hands. "Just kidding! Just kidding!"

If he'd been less in control of his temper, he would have broken the manager's arms. All four of them.

"Sheesh. I've heard about vampire tempers, but you're the first one I've ever met. Is it true venomous vampires don't have fangs?"

He'd snapped his teeth in the man's face. "What do you think?"

The man had just laughed and handed him a contract to fill out.

He had to admit that, so far, he was impressed. The first truck had arrived on time, and the crew had worked efficiently to load his and Bella's belongings carefully into the van. They had conducted themselves with professionalism and had loaded the truck in less than an hour. He supposed that had something to do with the two very brawny demons who were nearly twice the size of Emmett doing most of the carrying. Poor Emmett, unused to being dwarfed by anyone, had been completely overwhelmed. The whole process was worth it just to see the look on his brother's face.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the Volvo coming up the driveway. Bella had gone out earlier to get some things from the store that they needed for the trip. He heard the wheels come to a stop and the engine cut off, then his wife's quick footsteps as she hurried to the house.

He frowned. She was running and her heart was pounding in her chest. He stopped what he was doing and raced to meet her. He was at the bottom of the stairs before she had even gotten to the front door. Esme beat him to it though, and she was opening the door just as Bella came tripping in, literally. Luckily, everyone was well used to his wife's clumsiness – especially when she was hurrying – and Esme caught her before she fell. He was there by her side instantly, steadying her.

"What is it? What's happened?" he asked, worried.

"They're back!" Bella announced, breathless.

"Who's back?"

"Maria and Izzy. I ran into Maria at Fork's Outfitters. She was with some big blond man I've never seen before. She said they got back Tuesday."

He froze, processing. Tuesday, that was two days ago. His friends had been gone nearly two weeks since that horrible day when Izzy had fought the Questias Demon, and there had been no news of them since. He'd begun to fear the worst, and despaired that they wouldn't be back before he and Bella left for Dartmouth. Now he was surprised and pleased to hear that they had returned. He took the Volvo keys from her and moved for the door.

"Edward, I don't think…" he heard her begin, but he was already in the car.

Starting the Volvo, he threw the car into gear and spun tires gunning it down the drive.

_'Bring us back news!'_ Esme's thoughts called to him, and he honked the horn twice to let her know he'd gotten the message. A moment later, his cell phone rang. The caller ID flashed _BELLA_, and he answered, putting it on hands-free.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I didn't ask if it was okay to visit," his wife's voice chided.

"Maria has told me on many occasions that we are always welcome at their house," he countered, ignoring the little voice that told him that perhaps at least a call was warranted.

"Tell me, how did she look?" he questioned, guiding the car onto the road and turning it to the left.

"Okay, I guess. She didn't look sick or anything, or upset. She said she was fine when I asked her how she was."

"Did you ask about Izzy?" It was a stupid question, and he winced the moment he'd said it. He was glad she wasn't in the car otherwise she would have given him a scathing look.

"Of course I asked about Izzy," she snapped back.

"And?" he pressed, accelerating.

"Maria said she was doing better."

"But not that she _**was**_ better."

"No."

He breathed through his nose. The clarification was distinct, and the subtle nuance of Maria's answer did not go unnoticed.

"Was Vincent with her?"

"No, just the big, blond man. She called him Steven, I think."

"Hm. Okay."

"Y'know, I would have come with you," she said.

"Sorry," he apologized. He hadn't even given leaving her a second thought. "I know you're not very fond of Izzy…"

"It's not that I'm not fond of her. I just don't like her attitude."

He nodded, but didn't reveal why Izzy was so cynical and sarcastic. He had told his family about the prosthetic legs, but he had not told them what the legs were made of or what they did to Izzy's body. The blackened husks left behind by Zolan's fireball left very little for anyone to examine so it had been easy for him to hide the true nature of the limbs. Only Alice knew the truth, but that was because she had Seen it, but she had promised to keep the secret for Izzy's sake.

He concentrated on guiding the car down the road, thankful that Bella was not with him because he was taking the curves much faster than he knew she was comfortable with. He didn't care; he was anxious to get there.

"I'm sorry. I should have thought to ask."

He heard her sigh. "No, it's okay. They're much more your friends than mine. I mean, I really like Maria, and Vincent is cute, but…"

"You don't like Izzy's attitude."

"Yeah," she admitted. "Sorry."

"No offense taken."

"Not that I'm against seeing them again. You know I'm not. We owe them so much, and I would like to know that Izzy is all right."

"I know. And I'll be sure to send your regards."

"Okay. Thanks. Call me when you're on your way home."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

They said their good-byes, and he pushed the button on the hands-free unit to terminate the call. He would be at Izzy and Maria's soon anyway with the speed he was driving. Once again he was glad that Bella was not with him.

He didn't take offense that his wife really hadn't wanted to come along. Despite his hopes that his wife would warm up to Izzy after the honeymoon, his desires had not come true, and Bella also somewhat blamed Izzy for his getting burned during the fight with the Questias Demon. In regards to his human friends, she was much like he was with the Quileute werewolves; she cared because he cared, and she didn't understand his attachment to the two women and the boy any more than he understood her bond with the dogs now that Jacob was gone. But he had to admit, being on the other side of a relationship like that did help him be more tolerant of her wanting to keep ties with the wolves. At first, he just did it because he didn't want the conflict, but now he did it because he understood how she felt.

There was also the element of having something that was just for himself; like Bella and her motorcycle. That was something she had shared with Jacob that was separate from his relationship with her. His friendship with Maria and Izzy was separate from his relationship with Bella, something he called his own, and he found that he liked it that way.

He reached the end of the familiar driveway and made the right-hand turn to go up the gravel track. He felt the slight sting as he passed through the shield, his charmed coin giving him safe passage. Ever since the incident with the Questias Demon, he'd kept the talisman in his pants pocket, just in case he should get word if his friends' return. Today his diligence had paid off.

He parked the car at the end of the drive and hopped out, almost running up to the front door. He was raising his hand to knock lightly when the door swung open and he found himself face to face with a strange blond man who was not happy to see him.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, teeth bared, blue eyes hard.

Not human! his senses screamed, and he was taken aback for a moment. Vincent spared him before he had a chance to answer.

"Edward!" the boy cried happily, pushing past the stranger and practically throwing himself at him.

He caught the child, lifting him up with a joyful laugh, and returned Vincent's enthusiastic embrace wholeheartedly.

"Vincent!" he said, grinning. The boy looked fine; hale and healthy.

"Mom said she ran into Bella at the store. I was hoping you'd come!"

"How could I stay away?"

He put the boy down and Vincent grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the open door where the man was still standing.

"C'mon in! Mom and Izzy will be so happy to see you!" He turned to the tall man. "It's okay Steven. It's Edward."

Steven gave him a sidelong look, but allowed him to enter the house. Edward had no doubts that, should he have proven to be a threat, the man would have done damage.

He followed the boy through the house to the music room, surprised to hear the unmistakable sound of a violin being accompanied by a synthesizer. The music paused, then he heard Izzy's voice speaking.

"Let's take this up an octave and move the bridge over here. Maybe even change the tempo a little bit, speed it up here and add a touch more percussion."

Maria made agreeing noises, and he stepped into the room to find his two friends huddled in front of a computer screen.

"Mom! Look, it's Edward!" Vincent announced.

Two happy faces looked up at him from the computer, both with shining eyes and matching smiles, and his undead heart spasmed to see them looking so young and bright.

_'I thought it was you!'_ Izzy's mindvoice greeted, colorful and laced with joy.

He smiled and stepped forward as Maria slipped from behind the keyboards and came to hug him. He returned the hug and wrapped his arms around her. It was good to see and feel her again.

"I came as soon as I heard," he admitted, speaking into her hair.

"We had a feeling it was you when we felt something cross the shield. You are the only ones we granted safe passage to, so it had to be someone in your family," she admitted.

"You look well," he commented, stepping away and holding her by the shoulders so he could look at her.

"I am well," she replied, and he knew that she meant it.

"Hey, got one of them for me?" Izzy teased.

He found himself having to look down as she wheeled over to him in a sporty-looking wheelchair. He was pleased to see that her stumps still included both knees.

"Of course, always," he replied, crouching down to hug her.

"So? Did ya miss me?" she asked, grinning, her eyes dancing with mischief.

"Of course. Who else do I have to go to when I have problems with my wife?" he jibed back. It was partly true. The two women had become his sounding boards on all things human since there was absolutely no point in asking anyone in his family for advice when he was having a "human" problem.

Izzy laughed, and he noticed for the first time that her eyes were hazel and not dark brown. Another side effect of the demon legs perhaps. He stored that information for future reference.

"Have the two of you been introduced?" Maria asked, and he looked up to see who she was referring to. She was referring to the blond man.

He stood and offered his hand. "No. I'm afraid we haven't. I'm Edward Cullen."

"Steven Volpe," the man answered, accepting the hand, then stated with some surprise, "Vampire!"

"Yep," Izzy confirmed.

The blond man looked at her, a curious look on his face. "_**The**_ vampire?"

She nodded and smiled. "_**The**_ vampire."

Steven's entire countenance changed, and he grinned from ear to ear. Edward was confused, but Steven just laughed.

"You. You are _**the**_ talk. The little vampire who brought down a Questias Demon by throwing a _**tree!**_ That was brilliant!" the man said, still laughing.

He bristled at being called "little" and scowled, but his ire was ignored.

"I don't think anyone's going to be forgetting _that_ move for a _long_ time," Steven continued.

He snorted. "I didn't hurt it. I didn't even touch it. The tree broke against the thing's armor," he countered.

"Yes, but you damaged it enough for Isabelle to get in under its shields and blast it," Steven pointed out.

"Then _**Izzy**_ should get the credit for bringing it down, not me. What I did was nothing compared to her, and neither of us killed it. Zolan was the one to finish it off," he replied, placing emphasis on Izzy's preferred name. He cast her a glance from the corner of his eye to look for approval. She gave him a little nod.

The tall man looked at the two women. "He doesn't know."

Maria shook her head. "We haven't seen him since…" She trailed off.

"What don't I know?" he demanded.

"When Zolan caught up to Szalkan, a large hole had been blown in his aura. He was leaking power and unable to heal. You may not have been able to see any physical damage, but the psychic damage was extensive," Maria explained. "The epicenter of the wound was determined to be at a point of impact. When you threw the tree, you pierced his shield."

"He wasn't expecting a physical attack," Steven added. "All of his energies were focused on magical weapons, so when the tree hit him, it poked a hole in his defenses."

He thought about what he was being told and gasped. "A hole that Izzy was able to capitalize on to get in a magical attack…"

"Exactly."

He was stunned for a moment, but then he grinned. "And all this time, I thought I had done something colossally stupid."

"It might have been stupid, but it worked," Steven said, then he shivered and his form seemed to… shift.

As Edward watched, stunned, the man's hair lengthened and darkened to a russet red, his ears morphed into what looked to be dog-like triangles that moved to the top of his head, his face became more rounded, his nose thinner, and two bushy fox tails unfurled themselves from behind him.

"What…?" he gasped.

The new creature smiled, revealing a set of canines on both jaws, and offered his hand, a hand that had long, sharp inch-long fingernails that Edward was certain were lethal.

To Be Concluded (honest this time)


	24. Chapter 24

Pulling Down Heaven

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sole copyright belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I'm poor so don't sue. I do, however, own Maria, Izzy, Vincent, Zolan and T'eir. They're mine, all mine.

Rating: M for later chapters.

Timeframe: Post-Eclipse

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Sometimes good things can come from tragedy. Sometimes love can make someone sacrifice everything. An accident in the woods leads to some very big changes for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

A/N: This really is the end this time. If you like my work, please check out my other fanfic on fanfiction net and on mediaminer under Terri Botta. My inuyasha fic The Lucky Ones and its sequel (still in progress) The Coyote Child, have won numerous awards and my Buffy fic Here is Gone is also one of the finest pieces I've ever done. Also please check out my original novel, The Heart of a Fox. Izzy, Vincent, Maria and the gang will all be appearing in the sequel, The Soul of a Fox, coming out in Fall 2009 (hopefully.)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed PDH, I really appreciate it. I'll be posting it up on my wordsmiths website in the near future. I hope I entertained you, and that you enjoyed playing in my little mix of Meyers' and my sandbox. I know I had fun. Please review and let me know what you thought. Thank you.

* * *

Pulling Down Heaven

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Akihiro Hisamouto at your service."

He blinked and looked at the taloned hand.

_'Shut your mouth before you catch flies,'_ Izzy teased. _'He's a kitsune, a Japanese Magic Fox, or half of one at least. His mother was human.'_

Gathering his wits, he shook the kitsune's hand. "Hello. Pleased to meet you."

"Sorry about the illusion. Standard Operating Procedure, you know."

"Of course," he lied smoothly, not wanting to appear ignorant, but he did remember that Izzy had told him about something called a Concealment Spell that some demons used to hide their true forms.

"Akihiro's a friend. He's staying with us for a while for added protection. Mostly for Zolan's piece of mind," Izzy explained.

"And the entertainment factor," Akihiro quipped, casting an illusion of fireflies flitting around the room.

_'Kitsune are masters of illusion,'_ Izzy told him. _'This one is especially talented in that regard.'_

_'Ah. I see. Thank you.'_

"So? What have you been up to? Dartmouth should be starting classes pretty soon, right?" Izzy asked, drawing his attention back to her.

"Yes. Bella and I are moving in four days. Most of our things are already in transit. The last load is going tomorrow," he answered.

"Did you use Cappezzio's like I suggested?"

"Yes. I must admit they've been excellent so far."

"Your stuff will arrive with out a scratch, dent or chip. Promise. They're the best."

"We're moving too," Vincent piped up.

"Oh?" he questioned, looking askance at his friends and squashing the sudden rush of dismay he felt.

'_Relax, we're actually going to be closer,'_ Izzy assured him.

"Yes. We're moving to Virginia at the end of October," Maria confirmed.

"Virginia?" he repeated.

"Yeah. We got an opportunity to buy a property near the Blue Ridge Parkway that was just too good of a deal to pass up," Izzy added.

"Well, at least we'll be on the same coast," he noted, a sheepish smile on his face.

"That is a plus. You'll have to come down at least once or twice a year to get the… uh… medicine for your wife," Izzy said, faltering on the words "Warrior Peach." _'I can't say it out loud because technically we're not supposed to have it.'_

_'Understood.'_ "Of course."

"Edward's wife has a mild form of CP. Maria brews medicine for her," Izzy explained.

Akihiro gave them a look that said he wasn't fooled, but shrugged, "That's cool, but then you wouldn't expect anything less from her."

"Nope," Izzy replied immediately.

"Speaking of medicine," he began, using the subject to segue towards a topic he was eager to discuss. "How are you? You look… much better."

Izzy gave him a kind smile. "I am much better."

He knelt down next to her and deliberately placed one hand on her knee, just above the point of amputation. '_How are you really?'_

_'I'm doing good.'_

He looked up at Maria, seeking confirmation. She nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad that the damage wasn't bad enough for them to have to take your knees," he said carefully.

Izzy's face darkened a little, but she didn't look angry. "Yeah. Me too."

"And you'll never let that happen ever again, right? You'll Cleanse when you're supposed to," he insisted, letting a little bit of irritation enter his voice.

"She won't have to," Maria said happily.

He glanced up at the woman, surprised. "She won't?"

"Nope."

Izzy reached over and played the "bionic" music fanfare from the Six Million Dollar Man.

"I's gonna be bionic," she announced with a grin.

He blinked. "You are?"

"Yup. Jamie Sommers is gonna have nothin' on me."

"There have been quite a few advances in prosthetic technology in the past five years. T'eir is fairly certain that Izzy can be outfitted with a new set of cybernetic legs that will be able to handle the chi energies without the detrimental side effects of the demonic flesh ones," Maria explained.

"In about three months, I'll go in for surgery to have osseointegrated implants put in. Then once the bone around the implants heals, I'll go back to be outfitted with a set of brain-controlled, cybernetic legs," Izzy added.

"That kind of technology isn't available here," he stated.

Izzy shook her head. "Not yet, but it's coming. Advances in the human world are always capitalized upon by the demon world. They typically can take a breakthrough further and faster than human scientists can once they have the base materials and techniques. Then those advances cross worlds again and become part of the human plane.

"That… that's just wonderful," he said, genuinely pleased.

"Yeah, with Vincent getting stronger, he'll be able to protect himself pretty well on his own soon, so I won't have to fight so much," Izzy said.

"Hey, I'm doing a fair job right now," Vincent complained.

"Yes, you are," Maria agreed.

"And getting better every day," Izzy added.

Vincent beamed and preened proudly. "Thank you. Thank you."

They laughed and he smiled at his friend. "No, really. I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear that you won't have to put on another pair of legs like the ones… T'eir took off you," he admitted.

"Me too. Maybe we'll actually get some decent songwriting done around here," Izzy said.

"Yes, I heard part of what you were playing when I came in. What are you working on?"

"Some light rock tracks. Maria sent the demo to a couple of our contacts in the music biz, and it's already generating some interest. One of the producers we know is looking at a couple of the songs as possible singles for some new, aspiring singers," Izzy answered. "Right now we're just tweaking a few things to polish them up."

"It sounded wonderful. Do you mind if I listen in?"

"Listen in? Wouldn't you rather help?" Izzy countered with a knowing look.

He returned her look with a smile. "What can I do? How can I help?"

"Well, you can help us with some of the newer tracks. We need to get the melodies down before we can have fun with counterpoint and rhythm," Izzy told him.

"And lyrics! Don't forget the lyrics!" Vincent added.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "And lyrics."

Edward laughed and motioned to the array of instruments. "What would you like me on?"

"The acoustic guitar if you please, sir. Today the keyboards are all mine," Izzy replied with a wide smile.

"My pleasure, my lady," he agreed, and rose to his feet.

He crossed the room as Izzy wheeled herself back behind the keyboards, and picked up the acoustic guitar from its stand. He joined his friends just as Izzy was using a small projector to display the music tracks from the computer on a white wall so all of them could see the music score easily. He quickly scanned the composition, playing the song in his head while he checked the tune on the guitar, and sat down on a stool a few paces from Izzy. Maria picked up Rosamun and Vincent grabbed his violin. Even Akihiro joined in by opting to sing and play woodwinds, and together they spent the rest of the afternoon making music, laughing and sharing their talents.

Later that evening, when they had called a halt to the recording work, he and Izzy retired to the back deck to watch the sun set over the forest. The clouds had cleared out some during the course of the day, and now the sky was mostly the twilight colors of red and deep blue. Izzy had transferred, quite easily he'd observed, from the wheelchair to a padded cast iron lounge chair on the deck. He occupied the high-backed chair next to it, and a glass of Blood Vine for him and a glass of iced tea for her sat on the little cast iron end table between them. Somewhere nearby Akihiro was playing basketball with Vincent using a hoop hung above the garage door. He could hear their game and teasing clearly.

"Nice shot, shorty!" he heard Akihiro say after what sounded like a rim shot.

"Who you callin' shorty!"

"You, the kid I have to kneel down in front of in order to have a face to face conversation."

"That can be arranged!"

They heard Maria's laughter ringing high and clear over the banter, and both he and Izzy snickered.

"He becomes more like his father every day," Izzy commented, shaking her head.

"Really? And here I was thinking he sounded more like you."

"Touché."

"Thank you. Thank you."

Izzy reached for her iced tea and sighed, "This is a nice place. I think I'm going to miss it."

He gave a grunt of agreement.

"And I'll miss you," she admitted.

He smiled. "I'll miss you too." It was true. He was going to miss the ease of their friendship, the sanctuary and solace she and Maria had given him.

"Rosalie is going to cry when she hears you're moving away. She adores Vincent."

"She already knows. Maria told her, but she also talked to her about joining the demon community. There are lots of opportunities for her to work with interspecies children like Sparky if she wants."

He nodded and took a sip of his Blood Vine, smiling. It was his favorite variety, the one that tasted slightly floral, but today Maria had added a dash of mint. It was very good, and he marveled at how much the two women had changed his life.

"Just think, if I hadn't gotten bitten by that Komodo Demon, I never would have met you. I would have gone on with my life and never have known about Blood Vine or demon communities and councils. I would have been forced to turn my wife into a vampire like myself or risk the Volturi killing her…"

"And I'd be dead because that Questias Demon would have killed me for sure," Izzy interrupted. "Thank you. I owe you for that."

"No," he insisted. "You owe me nothing. After everything you and Maria have done for me, I consider it a very small part of the huge debt I owe you."

"I told you before that I'm not keeping score."

"Me either." _'Was it truly terrible?'_

_'I woke up in a Regeneration Tank,' _she replied, sending him images of what it was like to awaken floating, naked, in a tank full of thick bluish fluid with tubes stuck down her throat and more tubes running from her arms and torso. He nearly gagged, and for a moment he experienced her initial panic upon waking.

_'Horrible!'_

_'Only for the first few seconds. Once I realized where I was, I calmed down. Later Mia would tell me I'd been in there for five days.'_

He frowned. _'I saw the damage. It was… bad. Your stumps were black and necrotic.'_

She nodded gravely. _'I suspected as much.'_

_'What I don't understand is how you could stand the pain. Gangrene is excruciatingly painful.'_

_'I didn't feel it. There's a numbing effect associated with the socket joint of the demonic legs so I don't feel the merging of the blood into mine. It masked the pain of the wounds too.'_

_'Oh.'_

"So? You looking forward to Dartmouth?" she asked him aloud.

He shrugged and took another sip of his Blood Vine. "College. _Again_." He sighed. "But I'm doing it mostly for Bella's sake. I don't want her to miss a single human experience that I can give her. I'm most looking forward to having her all to myself. I've found a perfect little cottage just outside of town. It's only a few miles from campus, but it's on two acres, and it has a stream and gardens…" He sent her the images of the pictures he'd seen and smiled as she nodded in approval.

"Nice. Maybe we'll come up to visit you."

"You will always be welcome in our home."

"That's good to know."

"And I mean it, anything I can do, any way I can help. Ask me and it is yours."

She gave a huff that she understood. "Y'know, you might want to get involved with the interspecies community in New Hampshire. I'm sure Dartmouth has an Interspecies Student Council. They could get you in contact with what's available in that area, and maybe help you make your college years more fun this time around."

He didn't dismiss it out of hand. "It's an idea."

"I think you'll find them very accepting. They're very diverse. They have to be, and it might help Bella to have some interspecies friends, or maybe some human friends and spouses of non-humans. Keeping secrets all the time can get old after a few years."

He snorted. "Try a few decades. You have no idea how wonderful it is to come here and just be _myself._"

"You and every other demon trying to assimilate into human society." She looked at him, her eyes understanding. "It's a real problem. Demons that are out there on their own with no support group usually slip up and get themselves killed or become so isolated that the loneliness eats them alive."

He knew that all too well. Carlisle had brought him over because he was lonely and wanted a companion. For that reason alone he had turned a dying seventeen year-old boy into a perfect, ageless predator.

"I mean it. That's why I push so hard for demons to get involved. You get into an active interspecies community, and you can do anything, Edward. You could pursue any career and stick with it for decades. You could be a teacher, a writer, a songwriter or musician. Anything. You can live in a demon neighborhood and not have to worry about moving all of the time. You'd have the added protection of some very talented neighbors keeping the crime rates down. The possibilities are endless."

"I'll think about it."

She smiled. "That's all I ask."

He looked at her, returning her smile and held up his glass. "To one of the best friends I have ever had."

"To one of the bravest, stupidest vampires I've ever met," she countered, holding up her own glass.

He smirked. "To one of the most brazen, foolish, stubborn, irritating, remarkable human beings I've ever crossed paths with."

"Are you sure you're not talking about your wife?" she quipped.

"She's _**the**_ most brazen, foolish, stubborn, irritating, remarkable human being I've ever crossed paths with," he clarified.

"To the most controlling, know-it-all, obsessive vampire I've ever butted heads against."

He laughed.

"To friendship," he offered more seriously.

"To the families you choose."

"To love."

"To courage in the face of fear."

"To endless possibilities."

"Hah. I'll drink to that."

They grinned and clinked their glasses together, each drinking deep, then they both sat, content in each other's company, and watched the sun go down.

FIN


End file.
